If you’d asked the legal community in the Central Valley what they thought about criminal defense attorney Frank Carson prior to 2015, you probably would have heard differing opinions. Tireless advocate. Courtroom maestro. Corruption sniffer. Thorn in your side.
But murderer? The idea was outrageous.
From the moment that Oakland attorney Gary Gwilliam heard the allegations that Carson — a decorated attorney and noted critic of the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office — had conspired to murder a young methamphetamine addict, he suspected a serious miscarriage of justice.
“Frank was very successful at defending his clients and he was very outspoken about the corruption that he believed existed in Modesto’s law enforcement, so he became the victim of a witch hunt,” said Gwilliam, who is the founding partner at Gwilliam Ivary Chiosso Cavalli & Brewer. “It’s a frightening story, because if that could happen to someone as well connected as Frank, you can imagine what’s happening to the people who aren’t so well connected.”…