Most Creative Verdict: Man Guilty After Unsuccessful Attempt at Grammar-school Level Forgery
David Scher pleaded guilty to forgery and tampering with a court document, among other charges, after admitting to swapping a court clerk’s copy of his guilty verdict in another conviction with one reading “not guilty,” according to an article from Boston Patch.
For his efforts, he was handed two-and-a-half years of corrections. His prior conviction was for stealing a laptop from the Suffolk Law School. “Scher allegedly went back to the courthouse, swapped the clerk's file on his larceny conviction, and replaced it with a forged verdict slip,” the article reads. If he violates the terms of his sentence, he could be re-sentenced up to 20 years in prison for perjury.
Most Unapologetic Verdict: Dylan Roof Pleads Guilty to Murder
Dylann Roof, already convicted for a shooting in a Charleston Church that took the lives of nine congregants, pleaded guilty to state murder charges, according Time.
Roof entered to plea deal in exchange for a life prison sentence. The “self-avowed white supremacist” has already been sentenced to death after being charged with 33 federal crimes. The shooting took place in June 2015 at the Emanuel AME Church.
Most Progressive Verdict: Same-sex Texas Couples to Be Reimbursed $600K for Legal Costs Incurred Fighting Marriage Ban
The state of Texas is on the hook for approximately $600,000 in legal fees covering the costs of two same-sex couples who defeated the state’s marriage ban in a lengthy court case, according to an article from NBC News.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit awarded $585,470 in attorneys' fees and nearly $20,000 in costs from the case to plaintiffs Cleopatra DeLeon, Nicole Dimetman, Victor Holmes and Mark Phariss. The challenge to the ban was pending in the Fifth Circuit when the Supreme Court decided in the 2015 case Obergefell v. Hodges that gay marriage is legal in the U.S.
Shortly after that ruling, the U.S. appeals court ruled in favor of the Texas couples.
Most Celebrity Verdict: Aaron Hernandez Not Guilty of Murder After 2012 Shooting
Ex-NFL star and recently deceased inmate Aaron Hernandez, prior to his death, was found not guilty of murder, and other charges related to the killing of two men in Boston, according to an article from CBS Boston.
With the exception of possession of a firearm without a license, Hernandez was acquitted on all charges related to the 2012 shootings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. Already in prison for life after being found guilty in the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd, Hernandez was sentenced to four to five years in prison in the 2012 shooting case. Jurors deliberated for close to 36 hours before reaching the verdict.
Most Hunted Verdict: After Manhunt, Shooter Guilty on All Counts in Trooper Murder Ambush
Eric Frein, who led police on a 48-day manhunt after severely injuring trooper Alex Douglass and killing state police Cpl. Bryon Dickson, has been found guilty on all charges after a 10-day trial, according to reporting from Pennlive.
Frein shot the troopers at the Blooming Grove barracks in September of 2014. The charges he was convicted of include first-degree murder, first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, criminal attempt at first-degree murder, criminal attempt at first-degree murder of a law-enforcement officer, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.
Frein faces life in prison or the death penalty.