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The police lineup has been a technique for a witness to identify a defendant they had no prior connection to for decades. It was always believed that the police lineup presented eyewitness testimony. As such, there was no better evidence (other than a confession). Throughout the years, we have learned that the police lineup can be a compromised situation.

The rules of the lineup are enough; the problem is the application of said rules. Lineups are not supposed to be suggestive. As the physical lineup is deemed a critical stage, a right to counsel is supposed to be present. In a perfect world, the lineup presents justice for all. As we will learn in speaking to many of the top lawyers in the State of Michigan, we are not living in a perfect world.

Matthew McManus is the founder of McManus and Amadeo, one of the top criminal defense firms in Michigan. (https://www.mcmanusamadeo.com/). McManus is known as one of the leading researchers in the state and spoke on the topic. McManus said, “Every police agency does a lineup with their variation. Just like there is no such thing as uniformity of law, there is no uniformity in the lineup. The procedures for maintaining the evidence depend on the police agency. The Michigan State Police changed their policy in the recent past and the changes display there were problems with the concept.”

Editor’s Note:  This series will be highly controversial, and the privacy of the article’s subject has demanded to remain nameless for their safety and respect for their family. The only attorneys present for this series of interviews are employed for McManus and Amadeo and include Matthew McManus, William Amadeo and Jennifer Kelley. A non-disclosure agreements have been signed. CM=Carly McGregor, Officer=Defendant’s father, the other parties will go by their initials MM,=Matt McManus, JK=Jennifer Kelley, BA=Bill Amadeo, NS=Nick Sanderson).

Part IX of this series will deal with the sentencing.

CM:  On the day of the sentencing, what were you thinking?

Editor’s Note: This series will be highly controversial, and the privacy of the article’s subject has demanded to remain nameless for their safety and respect for their family. The only attorneys present for this series of interviews are employed for McManus and Amadeo and include Matthew McManus, William Amadeo and Jennifer Kelley. A non-disclosure agreements have been signed. CM=Carly McGregor, Officer=Defendant’s father, the other parties will go by their initials MM,=Matt McManus, JK=Jennifer Kelley, BA=Bill Amadeo, NS=Nick Sanderson).

Part VIII of this series will deal with the second motion day that ended up in a plea in Circuit Court.

CM:  The next step was the second motion date, tell us what you are feeling at this point?

Editor’s Note:  This series will be highly controversial, and the privacy of the article’s subject has demanded to remain nameless for their safety and respect for their family. The only attorneys present for this series of interviews are employed for McManus and Amadeo and include Matthew McManus, William Amadeo and Jennifer Kelley. A non-disclosure agreements have been signed. CM=Carly McGregor, Officer= Defendant’s father, the other parties will go by their initials MM,=Matt McManus, JK=Jennifer Kelley, BA=Bill Amadeo, NS=Nick Sanderson).

Part VI of this series will deal with the first circuit court appearance and another case that hit close to home. Tensions flared with Bill (Amadeo) and the father of the defendant and the past of both parties came to a collision course.

CM:  What were you thinking when the matter wen to circuit court?

(Editor’s Note:  This series will be highly controversial, and the privacy of the article’s subject has demanded to remain nameless for their safety and respect for their family. The only attorneys present for this series of interviews are employed for McManus and Amadeo and include Matthew McManus, William Amadeo and Jennifer Kelley. A non-disclosure agreements have been signed).

Part IV of this series will deal with the preliminary exam and what happened that day and the strategy that occurred.

CM:  Can you explain what the preliminary exam is and how are you familiar with them?

(Editor’s Note:  This series will be highly controversial, and the privacy of the article’s subject has demanded to remain nameless for their safety and respect for their family. The only attorneys present for this series of interviews are employed for McManus and Amadeo and include Matthew McManus, William Amadeo and Jennifer Kelley. A non-disclosure agreements have been signed).

Part IV of this series will deal with the topic of the District Court and the 2 weeks from when the case was adjourned for another Probable Cause Conference (PCC).  The father/officer of the defendant explains what happened at the District Court level. CM=Carly McGregor, Officer=Subject).

CM:  So when you hired Bill (Amadeo) what happened?

(Editor’s Note:  This series will be highly controversial, and the privacy of the article’s subject has demanded to remain nameless for their safety and respect for their family. The only attorneys present for this series of interviews are employed for McManus and Amadeo and include Matthew McManus, William Amadeo and Jennifer Kelley. A non-disclosure agreements have been signed).

Part III of this series will deal with the topic of the attorney switch. The father/officer of the defendant in this case did go through previous counsel before they ended up with William Amadeo as their lawyer.  The journey and why the switch was made is a journey that was surprising. (CM=Carly McGregor, Officer=Subject).

CM:  Was Bill (Amadeo) the first lawyer that you had?

(Editor’s Note:  This series will be highly controversial, and the privacy of the article’s subject has demanded to remain nameless for their safety and respect for their family. The only attorneys present for this series of interviews are employed for McManus and Amadeo and include Matthew McManus, William Amadeo and Jennifer Kelley. A non-disclosure agreements have been signed).

Part II of this series will deal with the concept of the polygraph and how it was dealt with in this case and more importantly, how it has been dealt with in other cases.  While the firm of McManus and Amadeo are strong proponents of the polygraph, there are a lot of things that were discussed about this particular case and the test in general. (CM=Carly McGregor, Officer=Subject).

CM: Officer, you stated that your son passed a polygraph, is that accurate?

(Editor’s Note:  This series will be highly controversial, and the privacy of the article’s subject has demanded to remain nameless for their safety and respect for their family. The only attorneys present for this series of interviews are employed for McManus and Amadeo, and non-disclosure agreements have been signed).

What if I told you that there was once an individual that was a police officer across different counties in Michigan, and that individual broke the rules. In fact, not only did they break the rules, they were taught to do so.  During their career, which was on paper a successful one, they did many things they are now ashamed of. The individual did something that would most of us to felony prosecutions. And if I told you that the individual did so in unison with prosecutors in their county, would be you believe me?  As for the individual, they are highly conflicted. Still, they have agreed to discuss their career, life, and this topic at length under two conditions. The first condition is that everything they say is protected and only to be utilized for this blog. The second is that the only people who can be present are me (Carly McGregor and McManus and Amadeo, which include:  Matthew McManus, William Amadeo, and Jennifer Kelley. Non-disclosures have been agreed to. This individual’s revelation will lead to civil litigation regardless of when such disclosure would ever occur.  With that, we present to you the first in a series of blogs entitled “Confessions of a Crooked Cop.” CM=Carly McGregor; Officer=subject.

CM: Good morning. How are you today?

When arguing that a criminal defendant is not competent, the defense counsel has an uphill battle. The standards for competency in the State of Michigan are harsh, and many times criminal defendants in need will be deemed competent despite having issues of mental capacity that are often overlooked. One disease that will not deem a defendant incompetent but will help with an argument to mitigate a crime is “Sleeping Beauty Syndrome.”

“Sleeping Beauty Syndrome” is known in the medical profession as Kleine–Levin syndrome (KLS). KLS is a rare sleep disorder characterized by persistent episodic hypersomnia and cognitive or mood changes. Many patients also experience hyperphagia, hypersexuality, and other symptoms. Patients generally experience recurrent episodes of the condition for more than a decade and may return at a later age. Individual events last typically more than a week, sometimes lasting for months. The disease significantly affects the personal, professional, and social lives of sufferers. The severity of symptoms and the course of the syndrome vary between sufferers. Patients commonly have about 20 episodes over about a decade. Several months generally elapse between events.

Patients with Kleine–Levin syndrome (KLS) experience recurring events of prolonged sleep (hypersomnia). In most cases, patients sleep 15 to 21 hours a day during events. Excessive appetite (hyperphagia) and unusual cravings are present in half to two-thirds of cases. About half of patients, mainly male patients, experience dramatically increased sexual urges (hypersexuality). Several other symptoms usually accompany the syndrome, including marked changes in mood and cognitive ability. Derealization and severe apathy are present in at least 80 percent of cases. About one-third of patients experience hallucinations or delusions. Depression and anxiety occur less commonly; one study found them in about 25 percent of patients. Individuals usually cannot remember what happened during episodes. Repetitive behaviors and headaches are widely reported. Some patients act very childlike during incidents, and communication skills and coordination sometimes suffer. To gain further insight into this issue, we spoke to several of the top lawyers in the State of Michigan.