I’ve spent decades in the trenches of criminal defense as a private investigator. I’ve worked shoulder to shoulder with some of the sharpest legal minds to ever walk into a courtroom-and a few who should’ve stuck to traffic tickets. From them, I learned the law not in a classroom, but on the battlefield, where freedom hangs by a thread and the stakes are life-altering. No, I’m not a lawyer. Maybe that’s because I’ve been having too much damn fun digging up the truth, shredding bad police work, and watching DA cases fall apart under the weight of their own arrogance. This blog is about a rare and reckless breed: the pro per criminal defendant—the lone wolves who choose to defend themselves against felony charges without a lawyer. Bold? Maybe. Suicidal? Sometimes. Recently, I took on a new role under contract with the Los Angeles County Superior Court. For once, they waved enough cash under my nose to pull me in. The twist? I’m now appointed to cases defending men and women accused of...