Professor Shestowsky Comments on Murder Charges for Sacramento Bee
Professor Donna Shestowsky commented on the murder charges pending against Freddie Rimpson III, a local man who helped authorities convict Jayshawn Visa Pierce of a 2006 killing. The case is unusual in that Rimpson provided evidence and testimony central to the conviction of Pierce, yet is now being charged with the same crime in part because he handed the murder weapon - a sawed-off shotgun - to Pierce at the crime scene.
Professor Shestowsky advised that the charges are an example of why it's important not to become involved in any way in a crime that is in progress. "Don't open a door, don't nod your head in agreement, don't lend anyone any tools, don't lend anyone a car," she said, or "you risk being as guilty of the underlying crime as the principal."
Donna Shestowsky is an Acting Professor of Law at the UC Davis School of Law, where she teaches Criminal Law, Negotiation Strategy, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and a seminar in Legal Psychology. She was the 2007 recipient of the Law School's Distinguished Teaching Award.