Appellate Practice
Attorney Hrones is an experienced Boston Criminal Defense Attorney who has pursued appeals in the state and federal courts for more than 35 years. He has succeeded in overturning many convictions on appeal. His vigorous and dedicated advocacy has earned him recognition in receiving the Edward J. Duggan private Counsel Award for Zealous Advocacy from the Committee for Public Counsel Services in 2000.
His willingness to take an unfavorable disposition at trial to the next level has allowed his clients continuity of representation, where other attorneys, who lack appellate experience, are at a substantial disadvantage. Perhaps the best example to illustrate his unabated determination is the case involving the murder of Germaine Goffigan. In a rush to solve the callous killing of a 9-year-old innocent bystander in a playground in Roxbury, the media and public outcry that ensued from this horrendous crime would not be satisfied until someone was in jail convicted for the crime. Attorney Hrones' dedication was displayed throughout his representation of this innocent man, who was falsely convicted. Hrones advocacy never faltered, throughout the trial and subsequent appeal to Massachusetts' highest court, the Supreme Judicial Court. He never gave up and continued to fight for his client, even after exhaustion of State remedies. Finally he forced Suffolk District Attorney Ralph Martin to release information that brought this young client' s innocence to light, some 5 years after his wrongful incarceration. The young man has attended and graduated from college and is employed in a responsible supervisory position in the workforce. This compelling story formed the basis for an episode of Boston Justice: a documentary about the American system of justice, shown on American and British public television.
Another example of his unrelenting pursuit of a client's interests was his dogged pursuit of appellate proceedings in order to obtain a favorable disposition, involving his representation of an individual charged with the federal crime of fraud associated with bankruptcy proceedings. Attorney Hrones reversed the district court twice in the First Circuit Court of Appeals. He finally obtained straight probation for his client, who had been originally sentenced to 33 months in prison. See United States v Rowe, 144 F.3d 15 (1st Cir. 1998); United States v Rowe, 202 F. 3d 37 (1st Cir. 2000).
In a habeus corpus case: Anderson v. Butler, 858 F.2d 16 (1st Cir. 1988), Hrones reversed the Supreme Judicial Court and the U.S. District Court in the First Circuit Court of Appeals, obtaining a new trial for a defendant previously convicted of murder, on grounds of incompetence of trial counsel, who had promised the jury in his opening statement what he could not deliver. The client was accused of stabbing his wife 57 times.
As a skilled Boston Criminal Defense Lawyer, Attorney Hrones has extensive experience briefing and arguing before the Massachusetts Appeals Court and the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, as well as the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Where many other attorneys are intimidated by the specter of appealing an unfavorable disposition to a higher court, Stephen Hrones is not.
If you or someone you know anywhere in Massachusetts needs the assistance of an experienced Boston Criminal Defense Attorney, call Hrones, Garrity & Hedges, LLP today at 617-227-4019, or use the contact form provided on this site to schedule your initial consultation.