In 1999, I contacted Elaine Whitfield Sharp to discuss a criminal case that I was handling. My client had been indicted for capital murder for the death of his four month old infant daughter – it was a shaken baby case.
Elaine became involved with our defense of the case immediately – her presence impacted the case in a strong and positive way. She had ample resources and information at her disposal, particularly as it concerned the medical issues involved in defending a shaken baby case. She helped us ferret out potentially weak defenses (for example, the likelihood or not of hemorrhage caused from a particular kind of immunizations) and focus instead on a medically sound defense of the charges.
In addition to providing assistance in retaining nationally renowned expert witnesses, Elaine drafted a motion to suppress an in-custody confession. The issue concerned the applicability of the ADA to the confession of a juvenile who was borderline mildly mentally retarded. She also helped in strategy and planning for trial.
The case ended up resolving for a significantly reduced charge and sentence – thanks in large part to Elaine’s significant participation. If the opportunity arose again, I would definitely call on Elaine Whitfield Sharp for assistance.
Greg A. Reeves
Decatur , AL