Firm’s Pro Bono Advocacy Results in CNMI Supreme Court Reversal of Murder Conviction

Lawyers from Calvo & Clark have been representing Franklin Cabrera Cepeda, Jr. in his appeal to the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) in Saipan seeking a reversal of his 2005 conviction of felony murder on the grounds that his Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights were violated during trial. On November 19, 2009 the Supreme Court vacated Cabrera Cepeda, Jr.’s conviction and remanded the matter to trial court for a new trial. According to the opinion, “The combination of all of the errors in this case – admission of hearsay and character testimonies and the faulty jury instructions – resulted in such significant prejudice that Cepeda was deprived of his right to a fair trial.” The Calvo & Clark team included Mike Pangelinan, Alex Freeman (who argued the case before the Supreme Court), Sophia Santos Diaz, and former associate Seung Lee. 

The Saipan Tribune and Marianas Variety both reported on the reversal on November 20.