Carolina Criminal Defense & DUI Lawyer UpdatesThe Client Behind a Guilty Plea That I’ll Never Forget
Some cases stay with you long after the courtroom clears. This is the story of a mentally ill client who entered a guilty plea in a murder case, and the extraordinary 
moments that followed. What he carried and what he chose to say changed the way I view my work as a criminal defense lawyer.
He wasn’t the first client I’d represented facing a murder charge. He wasn’t the youngest, the oldest, or even the most complicated. But something about this case, the years it took to resolve, the patience it demanded, the things I learned sitting beside him, will stay. I will carry the memory of that hearing with me, and what happened in that courtroom, for the rest of my legal career.
He had already gone through several other very good lawyers. By the time I entered the case, there were new, unrelated charges, the discovery had been assembled, and the weight of public attention was unmistakable. This was not a whodunit. The tragedy was undeniable. What remained was the question of what to do about it.
Understanding & Recognizing Mental Illness Before a Guilty Plea
From the very beginning, I suspected he was mentally ill. Not just struggling, ill. I’ve worked with clients who suffer from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, conditions that make functioning difficult but not impossible.
This was different.
Unfortunately, prior counsel had not uncovered that our mutual client had a long, documented history of psychiatric episodes, hospitalizations, inconsistent treatment, and deeply isolating behavior.
To be clear, that’s not intended as a criticism.
That’s not something people suffering from mental illness always share and/or have the capacity to share with their lawyer.
I’ve been doing this for a long time. I have experience recognizing signs of mental health issues and, as such, referred him to one of the best (if not the best) psychiatrists and clinicians in North Carolina.
The effects of a mental health disability can also ebb and flow. Sometimes they’re immediately apparent, often related to noncompliance with medications, and other times they’re completely hidden.
Mental health problems can be nearly impossible to perceive at times.
Things didn’t add up, and because of that, I started digging deeper and asking questions.
Who Carries the Burden of Proof?
That exploration didn’t lead to a finding of mental incapacity or the inability to assist defense counsel in a meaningful fashion. He understood the nature and the object of the proceedings. Put simply, this was not an NGRI – Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity case.
That also came as no surprise.
Sometimes, defense lawyers dig deep to rule out certain defenses and conditions. And, sometimes, that effort results in a legal finding and stipulation to factors in mitigation and a conversation with the District Attorney’s Office about the level of appropriate punishment due to well-documented issues.
What he suffered from at the time of the offense, and the mental health issues he’ll live with for the rest of his life, made him profoundly human in a way that I knew would never be fully visible to the public or maybe even to the court.
When we were retained, he’d already been in jail for literally years. He wasn’t going to get out on bond or pretrial release. As such, we met in jail conference rooms. From the outset, he was clear, sharp, and focused.
Building Trust Inside a Jail Conference Room
It took a slow building of trust that became the core of our relationship.
I listened carefully, making certain not to comment or point out weaknesses in the arguments like lawyers do. He started asking questions and opening up. He even flashed a smile once or twice.
It took time, but one day, he said something simple, something I won’t repeat here, because it’s not mine to share, but it was enough to know he was ready to take responsibility and enter a guilty plea.
It was not a tactical effort to get a better deal, but a decision predicated on the resolve to stand up, apologize, and do right by the decedent’s family by entering a plea.
How a Guilty Plea Came Together with Care and Resolve
Guilty pleas don’t always come from tactical decisions.
In this case, it came from trust, time, and a client’s decision to take full responsibility.
The plea agreement was the result of months of careful discussion, advocacy, and professional discretion on both sides of the aisle.
The plea agreement came after a long process.
It was a careful resolution that took time to hammer out.
The State, to its credit, didn’t insist on pushing the case to trial for the sake of it.
That’s what happens when you’re working with a career prosecutor who is a consummate professional.
The assistant district attorney sat down with me in person.
Over the many months and repeated plea negotiations, he listened and took into serious consideration the materials we presented and the positions we advocated.
The victim’s family was also involved. North Carolina is a victims’ rights state. With that, they’re entitled to both updates and an opportunity to be heard.
On the day of court, we all knew what we were walking into, but given the nature and circumstances of the charges (and the accused), it can be hard to predict how it would feel once we were in it.
The Weight of the Hearing Before It Began
The courtroom was packed. Members of the media had shown up early. The family of both our client and the decedent’s loved ones sat in the same courtroom waiting for the matter to be called.
It was one of those rare days when the quiet felt heavy before anything even started.
I’ve stood beside clients in many hearings, but this one carried a different kind of weight, not just because of the charge, but because of the grief that hung in the air like humidity on a hot day; not visible but certainly palpable.
We went through the procedural steps.
The judge asked the questions in the Transcript of Plea. The State recited its summary of the facts—clinical, precise, devastating.
My client listened. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t shrink. He didn’t try to explain.
Speaking After Entry of a Guilty Plea: What Allocution Can Reveal
Allocution is a moment many people overlook, but when used honestly, it can transform the tone of an entire courtroom.
After entering his guilty plea, my client addressed the court with clarity and calm.
What he shared revealed more than guilt; it revealed courage and truth.
Plea Bargains in North Carolina
When it was time to speak, he stood. We had talked about the opportunity to address the court in allocution, and he had chosen to use it.
What he said was not dramatic. It was carefully thought out, organized, logical, honest, and, in no small measure, almost poetic.
He accepted responsibility without condition, without justification, and without defense.
He did not ask for forgiveness. He did not try to earn sympathy. He spoke the truth of what happened, and in doing so, created a moment that changed the tone of the entire room.
There was a pause when he finished.
I don’t know how long it lasted. Probably only a few seconds. But in that pause, you could feel the weight of what he carried and the release that came with finally saying it out loud.
When a Courtroom Truly Listens
I’ve stood in that same courtroom perhaps hundreds of times.
In superior courts throughout North Carolina, I’ve watched judges rule, prosecutors argue, and waited anxiously for jurors to deliberate. But I’ve rarely seen a courtroom listen the way it did that day.
His statement didn’t undo what had happened.
A man had lost his life. A family would always grieve. My client would still serve a long prison sentence.
What he offered, the clarity, the courage, and the quiet honesty, brought something into that room that no legal argument ever could.
North Carolina Felony Murder Rule
A tear came to my eye in that moment. Something shifted.
It was something deeper than emotion, a kind of acknowledgment of not just of guilt, but of the humanity that still lived in him.
It was not just about what he had done. Even in the worst moment of his life, knowing he would soon be led off to prison, he chose truth.
I will carry that moment with me, not simply because it was dramatic, but because it was rare.
We don’t often get to see someone fully accept what they’ve done and own the consequences in a way that feels quiet, clear, complete, and firmly grounded in faith and redemption.
What a Guilty Plea Can Teach Us About Dignity and Truth
Lawyers don’t often talk about grace in the courtroom. But every once in a while, a client chooses to face the consequences with dignity.
That day, I learned a lot about truth and remorse through a rare and powerful guilty plea.
As defense lawyers, we fight hard. We question everything. We challenge the State, protect our clients, and sometimes stand entirely alone in doing so.
Occasionally, we also bear witness to something that humbles us, not our own work, but the work of a client who chooses dignity in the face of loss.
He made the courtroom listen. He reminded us that remorse still has power. That taking responsibility still matters. And that even in a system that often reduces people to docket numbers, a single voice can still rise above the noise.
I will never forget that client, the facts of the case, the love of his family, and the restraint shown by the family of the man who lost his life.
Walking with Our Clients to the End of the Retained Case
Sometimes, that’s the best you can offer in this work. Defense lawyers are the ones who hear a person out when everyone else has turned away.
We walk with them as they face what they’ve done, and stand beside them when they say what needs to be said.
Not every case ends like the matter I’ve described. In fact, most don’t.
When it happens on that rare occasion, you remember it not because of what you did, but because of who your client chose to be in that moment and because the courtroom, for once, gave him the space to be heard.
Bill Powers is a courtroom lawyer and senior attorney at Powers Law Firm PA. If you’d like more information about serious criminal charges in the Charlotte-metro region and to determine whether the criminal defense attorneys at the firm are available to help, please TEXT or call: 704-342-4357