This document provides background information for a law assignment involving defending a client, Abby, who has been charged with illegal farming of marijuana with intent to sell and illegal possession of firearms. The document outlines evidence found at Abby's home during a search, including marijuana plants, cash, and a firearm, as well as statements Abby made at the crime scene and in the police car. It provides issues for a research paper to address, such as whether any evidence can be suppressed, whether the state can meet its burden of proof, and what arguments could be made at trial or for a plea deal regarding Abby's sentencing.

1. This LASA assignment is a continuation of the scenario from
M3: Assignment 2 LASA 1
. Please reread the scenario from
M3: Assignment 2 LASA 1
before starting this assignment.
Having successfully completed law school, you are now a
second-year defense attorney with the state. You have been
entrusted with the task of defending Abby, who has been
charged with illegal farming of marijuana with intent to sell and
illegal possession of firearms. Abby has never been charged
with a crime before. The firearms possession charge is a
misdemeanor in your state, and the marijuana charge is a
felony. During the course of review of the case, you have been
provided with the following information:
The police report filed by Officer Edward, which contains all
the information regarding the events leading up to the arrest of
your client. The report also includes the observations of
Edward's former partner (who has since been promoted to
detective).
A search warrant for the home and subsequent documentation
mentioning that drug paraphernalia and marijuana were found in
the front room of the house. The documentation also mentions
that a shotgun was found, bearing your client's and her
boyfriend's fingerprints, under the couch in the same room.
A copy of a statement by your client but not signed by her,
which appears to be a confession that she made in the car on the
way to the police station. In the statement, she claimed that she
just needed to sell a little more marijuana to raise an additional
$1,500 so she would have $10,000 to bail her boyfriend, Bobby,
out of jail.
In addition, twenty marijuana plants were found in the basement
of the house, along with $8,500 in cash and a receipt book filled
with Abby's handwriting.
When you interview your client, she states that she barely
recalls that evening, because she was completely drunk at the

2. time the police showed up. She tells you that she doesn't even
remember being in the police car and has no idea that she was
told her rights, because she didn't sober up until the following
morning.
She denies any knowledge of the marijuana plants in the
basement of the house but states that the other marijuana on the
table was just there for a party she and Bobby were going to
have later that night. She also tells you that she is about four
months pregnant with Bobby's child. You have Abby's trial
starting the next morning.
Utilizing APA guidelines, citing your sources in text, and
creating a corresponding reference page, cite relevant case law
and specific information from external sources, present a 6- to
8-page research paper to illustrate how you would defend your
client. Please address the following issues specifically in your
paper:
Can any of the evidence found in your client's home be
suppressed? If so, why and on what grounds?
Can any of the statements uttered by your client at the crime
scene or in the patrol car be used against her? Can any of them
be suppressed? Why?
Can the state meet its burden of proof in this case? If not, why
not? What can you argue to defend your client on the basis of
the evidence listed in the case?
Can your client's best interest be served by engaging in trial? Or
would it be better for her in the long run to make a plea. If so,
what might your request be to the prosecuting attorney for a
plea deal?
Assuming your client is found guilty on felony charges
stemming from the marijuana possession, what argument might
you make to the judge and the jury regarding sentencing? What
constitutional amendment supports your theory and why?
Submission Details:
Save the document as M5_A1_Lastname_Firstname.doc. All
CJA papers should be submitted using APA format, i.e., Times

3. New Roman 12, double spaced with title page and reference
page. See the APA manual for an examples.