State v. Scarpelli

Known as the “Germantown Child Torture” case, the Scarpelli case was one of the worst physical child abuse cases in Montgomery County history.  It garnered enormous media coverage and was even the subject of a major television network special, “Saving Richard: Dateline NBC.”  Alex Foster was interviewed extensively on-camera for the program.  This successful prosecution propelled Alex Foster to national stature in the area of prosecuting child abuse cases.  Mr. Foster was subsequently invited to teach trial techniques for the “Child Proof” program 7 times, an advanced week-long workshop for career child abuse prosecutors.

State v. Lynch

As part of the notorious “Peppertree Farms” gang-rape case, Lynch was one of the most brutal rape cases ever heard inside a Montgomery County courtroom, involving the rape of a 15-year old girl by 6 men.  Alex Foster prosecuted all 6 men separately, gaining 6 convictions for First Degree Rape with 5 life sentences, including a 16-year old defendant who was tried in adult court. The youngest defendant was 15 years old and waived to Juvenile Court, where he too was convicted of First Degree Rape.

State v. Mich

A domestic violence double homicide case, Mich was qualified for the Death Penalty under Maryland law.  The defendant was linked by a spot of blood found on his shirt through expert DNA analysis.  Mr. Foster has presented expert forensic evidence in a wide variety of fields, including DNA, ballistics, hair, fibers, fingerprints, and tool marks.  Additionally, he has presented very complex medical forensic issues involving many areas of psychiatry, pathology, and manner and cause of death.  Because Mich was a Romanian citizen, Mr. Foster met with the Ambassador of Romania in an effort to reach a resolution on seeking the Death Penalty.

State v. Speight

The Speight case made headlines by being Maryland’s first conviction under the new felony Aggravated Animal Abuse statute.  Mr. Foster has long been a champion protecting the legal rights of animals, and, for his work in this case, received the “Pioneer Award” from the Humane Society of the United States.  This was the very first conviction in Maryland State history under the new statute.  Alex Foster was then elected to head the Maryland State Bar Association’s Animal Cruelty Section, and has given countless presentations and lectures on this topic to law enforcement, legal and law school groups.

State v. Villacis

A high-profile murder case involving the homicide of a 3-year old child at a daycare center, Mr. Foster’s successful prosecution involved extremely complex issues of inflicted head trauma known as “Shaken Baby Syndrome.”  Mr. Foster was invited to address the National Conference on Shaken Baby Syndrome in Salt Lake City, Utah where he presented on “Successful Prosecutions of Child Homicides,” and then delivered a demonstration Opening Statement of an audience of several hundred career prosecutors, physicians and child protective service employees from around the United States.

State v. Baby

A First Degree Rape case which received national attention, the Baby case redefined  the legal definition of “consent” in the State of Maryland at the highest level, the Court of Appeals.  Alex Foster’s determined and aggressive prosecution over several years and multiple jury trials resulted in changes in the law of Rape which will forever provide better protection for vulnerable women and future victims in a courtroom.  Mr. Foster’s use of an expert testimony in the area of “Rape Trauma Syndrome” was approved by the Court of Appeals, thereby setting a standard for all future Rape cases.

State. v. Lewis

In one of Montgomery County’s first “cold cases,” Mr. Foster’s presentation to a jury of DNA comparisons using the CODIS computerized data search, resulted in a conviction for First Degree Rape 12 years after the crime was committed.  For his brutal stranger-on-stranger crimes, Lewis received 2 Life sentences.

State v. Misenheimer

A sexual assault and child abuse case, the defendant was a school teacher in Potomac, Maryland who preyed on young girls in his music and theatre classes, pressuring them to engage in sexual activity in his school office in exchange for parts in the school’s drama productions.  During the course of this prosecution, dozens of former students from around the country contacted the police to report his previous sexual abuse years earlier.  Mr. Foster’s expertise of the Sex Offender’s Registry ensured that this defendant would never work as a teacher for the rest of his life.

State v. Emeruwa

A domestic violence related First Degree Murder, the defendant killed his wife in front of their 3 small children and then kidnapped them.  Alex Foster appeared on NBC News to announce the Grand Jury Indictments.  In a complex jury trial, Mr. Foster flew in witnesses from Nigeria to support his case and worked with the 3 small children to prepare them for court.  Upon his guilty verdict, the defendant was sentenced to Life in prison.

State v. Lindsey

Known in the media as the “Heart Attack Murder,” Lindsey was a 19-year old burglar who surprised his elderly victim after breaking into his house to steal property.  Tragically, the victim suffered a fatal heart attack during the burglary which generated a legal issue of Felony Murder.  Although the defendant’s attorney argued that he had no intent to kill anyone, Mr. Foster successfully persuaded a Grand Jury to Indict on First Degree Felony Murder since the defendant caused a death during the commission of a felony.  Lindsey was later convicted of First Degree Murder and sentenced to a lengthy period in prison.