When a loved one is sitting in jail on a serious charge like murder, the biggest fear is simple and devastating:
What if the system gets it wrong?
A recent case in St. Paul shows exactly how that can happen, and how a focused, well resourced defense team can stop a wrongful conviction and send someone home to their family. It also shows why having more than one lawyer on a serious felony defense is not a luxury. It is often the difference between a life destroyed and a life restored.
This is not theory or legal jargon. It is a real person’s story.
The St. Paul murder case: two years in jail, then a “not guilty”
In Ramsey County District Court, 51 year old Jasmine Edwards was tried for second degree murder after being accused of fatally stabbing her fiancé on Valentine’s Day in 2020. She spent more than two years in jail waiting for her day in court.
The public defenders who tried her case, lead attorney Carol Fineran and second chair attorney Tim Rank, secured a full acquittal after several weeks of trial and several days of jury deliberation.
According to reporting in the Star Tribune, the jury was persuaded by hard physical evidence the defense relentlessly highlighted:
- A palm print on the murder weapon that did not belong to Ms. Edwards or the victim
- DNA on that same weapon from a third person, an unidentified individual
The investigating officer had the option to pursue those leads and did not. The defense made sure the jury understood what that meant: there was real evidence pointing to someone else.
After more than two years in jail, the jury said “not guilty.” Ms. Edwards went home to her children and grandchildren. Case closed.
That outcome did not happen by accident. It happened because:
- She maintained her innocence
- She exercised her right to a jury trial
- A two lawyer defense team dug into the details, challenged weak investigation, and told a clear story about an alternative suspect
For families and potential clients, this raises an important question.
What actually happens when there are two defense lawyers on a serious case, and why can it matter so much?
Why serious felony cases often need more than one defense lawyer
On TV, a criminal trial often looks like “one prosecutor versus one defense lawyer.” In real life, serious felonies such as murder are different. It is common, and often critical, to have multiple lawyers on both sides.
In some complex federal trials, defense tables can include six, eight, or more lawyers because several people are on trial at once or because the evidence is vast and technical.
In state murder cases, a second defense lawyer is not about billing more. Public defenders like those in the Edwards case are salaried and overloaded with cases. A second lawyer is a strategic choice to protect the client’s life and liberty.
Here is why it matters.
1. One lawyer leads the fight, the other watches everything
In trial language, the “first chair” is the lead trial lawyer. The “second chair” is the second lawyer on the team.
When the first chair is cross examining a key witness, such as a detective, a forensic analyst, or a medical examiner, that lawyer must:
- Think on their feet
- Listen closely to every answer
- Decide in real time whether to dig deeper or move on
- Read the witness’s body language
- Keep a connection with the jury
Trying to do all that while also taking detailed notes on every word is nearly impossible. Young or inexperienced trial lawyers sometimes fall into the trap of following a rigid script or outline and writing everything down while questioning a witness. When that happens, two dangerous things occur:
- The lawyer stops truly listening to the witness
- The lawyer cannot pivot when something unexpected or important comes out
A strong second chair solves this. While the first chair is in the heat of cross examination, the second chair can:
- Watch the jury’s reactions
- Take careful notes on every important answer
- Flag inconsistencies or opportunities on a legal pad and slide them to the first chair
- Capture details the first chair might miss in the moment
That teamwork lets the lead lawyer stay fully present and responsive in front of the jury while still preserving every critical detail for later argument.
In a case like Ms. Edwards’s, that can mean the difference between:
- A juror vaguely remembering “something” about a mystery palm print, and
- A defense team walking the jury step by step through why a third person’s DNA and palm print on the weapon undermines the prosecution’s entire story
2. Division of labor: depth beats “knowing a little about everything”
Serious felony trials rarely involve just one or two witnesses.
There might be:
- First responding officers
- Detectives
- Forensic scientists, such as DNA or fingerprint analysts
- Medical examiners
- Civilian witnesses and neighbors
- Family members
- Expert witnesses for both sides
No single lawyer can be a true master of every detail if the case is large and technical. Multiple defense lawyers allow for deliberate, strategic division of labor. There are several common models.
a. First chair runs most of the trial, second chair supports
In some trials, the first chair:
- Handles jury selection
- Gives the opening statement
- Cross examines most or all key witnesses
- Puts on the defense case
- Delivers closing argument
The second chair focuses on:
- Jury observation
- Note taking
- Legal research during breaks
- Spotting issues and quietly feeding insights to the first chair
This model makes sense when the lead lawyer is very experienced and the case turns heavily on credibility battles and courtroom presence. The second chair becomes the eyes and ears and the memory bank.
b. First chair takes the biggest witnesses, second chair takes supporting witnesses
In other trials, there is a structured split:
- First chair handles the higher impact witnesses, such as the lead detective, medical examiner, and main eyewitness, and the opening and closing arguments
- Second chair examines less consequential or more straightforward witnesses, such as a records custodian or a single issue expert
This gives less experienced lawyers vital trial experience without putting the client at risk on the most important testimony. It also prevents the lead lawyer from burning out in a long trial.
c. A true 50 50 split for massive or technical cases
In very large or complex cases, the defense team may split the workload almost evenly:
- Each lawyer takes responsibility for roughly half the witnesses
- Each goes extremely deep on their witnesses, documents, and forensic issues
- Each handles cross examinations and direct examinations for their assigned portion of the case
This approach is especially important when the evidence includes:
- Multiple forensic disciplines, such as DNA, fingerprints, and digital forensics
- Extensive cell phone or computer data
- Financial records
- Numerous law enforcement agencies
No one can be a true expert on everything in a short time. Strategic division of labor allows each lawyer to become the master of specific areas and present them clearly to the jury.
3. Subject matter strengths: letting each lawyer do what they do best
Often, different lawyers bring different strengths:
- One may excel at cross examining police officers
- Another may be particularly strong in understanding and challenging fingerprint or DNA analysis
- One may be gifted at connecting with jurors in opening statements and closings
- Another may have deep experience with specific legal defenses or evidentiary rules
In a case involving forensic questions such as the palm print and third party DNA in Ms. Edwards’s case, it is powerful to have a lawyer who truly understands fingerprint science cross examining the state’s fingerprint examiner.
At the same time, another lawyer may be the best person to dismantle a detective’s failure to follow obvious leads to a third suspect.
Multiple lawyers on the defense team allow the client to benefit from all of those strengths at once.
Why this matters to clients and families
When a loved one is locked up awaiting trial, it is natural to focus on the charge and the possible sentence. One of the most important practical questions is:
Who will actually be in the courtroom fighting for them, and how will that team work?
A serious defense is not just about:
- Having a lawyer
- Filing motions
- Showing up to trial
A serious defense in a murder or other major felony case is about building and executing a strategy that:
- Challenges weak or incomplete police work
- Follows up on alternative suspects and unexplored evidence
- Breaks down forensic claims and exposes gaps or errors
- Tells a clear, honest story that gives jurors permission to say “not guilty” when the evidence does not prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt
Multiple defense lawyers, working in a coordinated way, are often what make that level of scrutiny and storytelling possible.
In Ms. Edwards’s case:
- The presence of a third person’s palm print and DNA on the weapon was not a minor detail
- The investigating officer’s failure to pursue those leads was not a footnote
- Those facts went to the heart of whether the right person was on trial
The defense team put those facts front and center. A juror later confirmed that those details were persuasive in deliberations. That is good lawyering. That is what it looks like when a defense team does not simply accept the state’s narrative, but tests every piece of it against real evidence.
If a loved one is facing a serious charge
An accusation is not a conviction.
If a family member is in jail on a serious charge in the Twin Cities or greater Minnesota, it is important to know:
- A long wait in custody does not mean the case is hopeless
- Forensic evidence and official reports are not infallible and must be tested
- Alternative suspects and unexplored leads can matter greatly
- A coordinated defense team can uncover and highlight details that change everything for a jury
The outcome in the St. Paul case shows that when a client maintains their innocence, insists on a jury trial, and has a focused, strategic defense team, it is still possible to walk out of a courtroom and go home.
That is what Pacyga Trial Lawyers fights for in every serious case: thorough investigation, strategic teamwork in the courtroom, and a defense that refuses to accept “good enough” when someone’s life and freedom are at stake.