Principal Accused of Murder Represented by Attorney Humphrey

After a man was found dead in an almond orchard in Bakersfield, California, it was his wife—a principal at a local elementary school—who was the murder suspect. The Kern County Sheriff's Office suspected that it was the principal who fatally shot the man, dumped his body and then abandoned his vehicle nearby. While the woman was arrested on suspicion for the crime, the formal charges against her were not filed and she was released.

Kyle J. Humphrey, of our law firm, was the Bakersfield criminal defense lawyer who represented the accused woman. According to a Sept. 4 CNN article, this was because the woman's court hearing was postponed and she technically could not be held any longer without actually being charged with a crime. The prosecutors involved in the case were still awaiting information from the sheriff's department at the time of the school principal's release.

Attorney Humphrey spoke to CNN about the matter. His comments were aired in a video segment by the news outlet, which was available online with the article. He said his client was confused and shocked by the accusations that were made against her and that he was ready to defend her innocence. The lawyer noted that cases do not get filed when accusations are made without the appropriate amount of evidence to back up them up. The burden of proof lies with the prosecutors, he said.

One woman who had been friends with the principal for years expressed disbelief concerning the allegations, noting that the couple always seemed to get along well, according to a Good Morning America article on the matter. According to what the friend told Good Morning America, the principal's quiet personality simply does not "fit that bill at all." Attorney Humphrey's client had been the principal at the same school since 2006. The married couple had three daughters--one of them being the daughter of the principal and stepdaughter of the principal's husband.

When individuals are arrested on suspicion of serious crimes and then never actually charged, this is oftentimes and indication that there is some type deficiency with the evidence involved in the case. At Humphrey & Thompson, we are highly skilled at determining where there are any flaws in prosecutors' cases against our clients. We provide solid defense against many different kinds of criminal charges, even charges for criminal offenses as serious as murder. Contact our firm today to find out more about how our legal team might be able to assist you in your criminal matter. Our lead attorney has more than 25 years of criminal law experience, which includes time spent as a prosecutor!

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