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Cattle Prod Litigation Defense | Houston Criminal Law

Dan Cogdell | 1557 Views | 08/31/2015

Dan Cogdell

Have you ever heard of a defense lawyer dedicated enough in the defense of his client to shock himself with a cattle prod in front of a jury to make a point? Hello, my name is Dan Cogdell, I’m a criminal defense lawyer here in the state of Texas.

Case Review

Early on in my career I was representing a fellow by the name of Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr. Among other things, Mr. Ellebracht and his codefendants were charged with kidnap, torture, and engaging in organized criminal activity. Among the different things they were charged with was torturing one guy and causing his death.

Cattle Prod Demonstration

The theory of the state was that his death had been caused by electrical shock induced by a cattle prod. In order to defend that accusation this young lawyer many years ago literally got the cattle prod that Mr. Ellebracht supposedly used to shock this individual to death, and shocked himself – that is me – in front the jury to prove to the jury and to show to the jury that as painful as that cattle prod may be it’s not going to cause heart attack, it’s not going to cause death. Was I crazy? I don’t know. Was I over the top? Probably. But did I get the point across to the jury in a way that maybe no one else could’ve, or no one else would’ve gotten that point across to the jury, by shocking myself with that same cattle prod? I think I did.

Trial Verdict

Probation. Let me say that again. Probation. If you’re looking for a lawyer who’s dedicated, who’s committed, and who’s willing to go the extra mile for a client, you might just consider calling this one. My name is Dan Cogdell, thank you for listening.

By: Dan Cogdell

Cattle Prod Litigation Defense | Houston Criminal Law

Dan Cogdell

Have you ever heard of a defense lawyer dedicated enough in the defense of his client to shock himself with a cattle prod in front of a jury to make a point? Hello, my name is Dan Cogdell, I’m a criminal defense lawyer here in the state of Texas.

Case Review

Early on in my career I was representing a fellow by the name of Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr. Among other things, Mr. Ellebracht and his codefendants were charged with kidnap, torture, and engaging in organized criminal activity. Among the different things they were charged with was torturing one guy and causing his death.

Cattle Prod Demonstration

The theory of the state was that his death had been caused by electrical shock induced by a cattle prod. In order to defend that accusation this young lawyer many years ago literally got the cattle prod that Mr. Ellebracht supposedly used to shock this individual to death, and shocked himself – that is me – in front the jury to prove to the jury and to show to the jury that as painful as that cattle prod may be it’s not going to cause heart attack, it’s not going to cause death. Was I crazy? I don’t know. Was I over the top? Probably. But did I get the point across to the jury in a way that maybe no one else could’ve, or no one else would’ve gotten that point across to the jury, by shocking myself with that same cattle prod? I think I did.

Trial Verdict

Probation. Let me say that again. Probation. If you’re looking for a lawyer who’s dedicated, who’s committed, and who’s willing to go the extra mile for a client, you might just consider calling this one. My name is Dan Cogdell, thank you for listening.

By: Dan Cogdell