James Queally Profile picture
Trying to make my city a better place: Courts/Chaos @latimes Alleged Author: Russell Avery series @PolisBooks -- SURVIVING THE LIE (2024) rep: @jmcgowanbks
Oct 30, 2023 11 tweets 2 min read
Thread -- One month into L.A.'s new bail schedule, @LASuperiorCourt Presiding Judge Samantha Jessner released data today that seems to put a dent in the "catch and release" criticisms of the policy that have been made in recent weeks. While I'm hesitant to say 3 weeks of data is representative of much, what's here pushes back on the "they're releasing everyone" narrative that always spills into the news cycle on bail reform.
Dec 20, 2022 9 tweets 2 min read
Afternoon break update: Sean Kelly returned to the stand, on cross acknowledged he saw an object in “the small gentleman’s” hands while he saw muzzle flashes, referring to Lanez. On redirect, Mgdesyan gets Kelly to acknowledge he initially said there were 2 shooter, 1 female. Much like the morning, this went in circles for 30 minutes with Kelly repeatedly noting he never actually saw a gun. Then we moved onto the testimony of LAPD Det. Ryan Stogner, the lead investigator on the case.
Dec 20, 2022 14 tweets 3 min read
Tory Lanez Day 7: We spent the entire morning with defense witness Sean Kelly, who witnessed some of the incident from a balcony overlooking Nichols Canyon Blvd. While defense had claimed Kelly could ID Kelsey Harris as shooter that’s not exactly what happened. Kelly says he was woken up by arguing and looked out his window to see “two girls” fighting, presumably Megan Thee Stallion and Kelsey Harris. “They we’re pulling the hair and hitting each other it was quite violent,” he said.
Dec 19, 2022 8 tweets 1 min read
BREAKING: Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty of rape and sexual assault of all counts related to Jane Doe 1. The jury acquitted him of sexual battery against Jane Doe 3. Hung on all counts related to Jane Doe 2 and Jen Newsom. On hung counts jurors were:
10-2 toward guilt on Count 4 (Jane Doe 2)
8-4 toward guilt on counts 6 and 7 (the sexual assault of Jen Newsom.)
Dec 19, 2022 9 tweets 2 min read
Light morning of testimony at Tory Lanez trial. Prosecutor recalled an LAPD officer and a DA’s office investigator in order to introduce some body worn camera footage and lyrics to a diss track Kelsey Harris wrote about Megan called “Bussin’ Back.” The camera footage shows Kelsey ask Megan if she’s “OK,” as they are both being detained after vehicle stop. On cross, Lanez defense attorney kept asking officer if Tory also asked Megan that question or looked distraught or noticed the defendant’s demeanor, she kept saying no.
Dec 13, 2022 16 tweets 3 min read
Quick Thread -- Megan Thee Stallion was only on the stand for about 45 minutes this morning, but she walked through the entire shooting in that time. She entered court around 11:15 a.m. to shouts of support in the hallway. Tory Lanez did not look at her when she entered. Megan was emotional as soon as she took the stand, describing Lanez as someone she "used to" be friends with before telling a prosecutor she didn't "feel good ... I can't believe I have to come up here and do this."
Dec 12, 2022 7 tweets 1 min read
Quick thread on openings: Prosecution's case is pretty straight forward: Megan Thee Stallion will say Torey Lanez shot her. Kelsey Harris will say Lanez is shooter. Lanez apology voicemails and texts are tantamount to a confession, DDA Alexander Bott says. "I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart ... shit should have never happened and I can't change what I did." - Lanez alleged text message to Megan the day after the shooting. In a recorded jail call, Lanez also was apologetic and said he was drunk at time of incident.
Aug 15, 2022 7 tweets 2 min read
BREAKING: The attempt to recall Los Angeles D.A. George Gascon has failed. The recall needed around 566K valid signatures to qualify. It got 520K verified, despite submitting 715K. Of the 195K disqualified signatures, the Registrar says 131K of them were from voters who were not registered or who submitted duplicate signatures.
Mar 16, 2022 4 tweets 2 min read
BREAKING: The Eagle Rock man who threw a firework into an L.A. homeless encampment in 2019 -- starting a brushfire that injured 3 and nearly burned down homes -- will be placed into mental health diversion and receive no jail time. latimes.com/california/sto… Daniel Nogueira, whose father is president of Eagle Rock's Chamber of Commerce, was granted diversion by a judge who ruled his ADHD was a significant factor in the crime.
Dec 8, 2021 7 tweets 2 min read
NEW: For years, more than a dozen Torrance cops exchanged racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic texts and images. Today, I can identify most of the officers and reveal some of their hateful conversations. My latest: latimes.com/california/sto… The officers’ comments spared almost no one: They joked about “gassing” Jewish people, assaulting members of the LGBTQ community, using violence against suspects and lying during an investigation into a police shooting, according to D.A.'s records I reviewed.
Mar 26, 2021 16 tweets 5 min read
Trying to organize my thoughts here: First and foremost thanks to all the journalists, friends, sources and others who made noise tonight to get me out. @ShotOn35mm for filming it & @steffdaz for calling my fiancee. I was mostly worried about her finding out via Twitter. It is insane to me that I wrote this story 7 days ago. Lexis and I were standing next to one another tonight. I definitely made some joke about like "they wouldn't do this again, right?" Clearly my comedic timing is off.
Mar 26, 2021 4 tweets 2 min read
Crowds starting to form near @MitchOFarrell office as another day of #EchoParkLake demonstrations gets under way LAPD already drove up with the speaker truck suggesting they might threaten a dispersal order.
Mar 25, 2021 4 tweets 1 min read
Demonstrators now calling for dissipation of the protest as LAPD announced those in the park can stay another 24 hours. Meeting some resistance. #EchoParkRiseUp Literally one minute after I tweeted this cops fired with a launcher at the skirmish line.
Mar 25, 2021 4 tweets 1 min read
They just gave the dispersal order again. Been almost a half hour since the first one. #EchoParkRiseUp They’re now saying 10 minutes to disperse.
Mar 25, 2021 5 tweets 2 min read
.@LAPDHQ just shot something at the ground at close range. Almost hit me. Stand-off near Santa Ynez #EchoPark
Mar 25, 2021 7 tweets 2 min read
Hundreds of people in #EchoParkLake as cops have blocked the street off from Sunset and out toward the 101 Some of the tents and space people are trying to protect.
Mar 25, 2021 7 tweets 2 min read
Seeing this gain some traction. It's wrong, or at least misleading. There is no instruction or directive that says this, per the D.A.'s office and several prosecutors I ran this by (including plenty who are no fans of D.A. Gascon.) I asked Jon for clarification, yet to hear back. I *think* he's referring to this, from one of Gascon's special directives on the re-sentencing unit. "Accordingly, this Office will reevaluate and consider for resentencing people who have already served 15 years in prison."
Mar 23, 2021 4 tweets 1 min read
That's Olympic Division's address. Source says the shooting happened inside the LAPD building itself.

Source: Adult male showed up at entrance to Olympic Division, "banging" on door, trying to get access (all division lobbies are closed b/c of COVID.) Officers opened the door to check on situation and noticed the man had a firearm. Not clear on sequence of events from there.
Dec 7, 2020 11 tweets 2 min read
Thread for developments from George Gascon inauguration as L.A. County D.A. here. News imminent... First big announcement was already forecast -- Prosecutors will be barred from seeking to try juveniles as adults from this day on in L.A. County.
Oct 4, 2020 14 tweets 3 min read
Alright, forget it. This is a work day now, so let's make the most of it. Listening through Saturday's debate between George Gascon and Jackie Lacey looking for highlights, doing a little fact-checking, and summarizing anything you all need to know. Check back here if curious: Lacey repeated her contention Gascon was light on discipline as an LAPD commander. This is factually... murky. Discipline records in CA are well guarded, but LAPD records do show Gascon sat on 11 disciplinary boards. Cop was punished in 4 of them. Records don't show how he voted.
Oct 4, 2020 5 tweets 2 min read
NEW: @MayorOfLA has switched his endorsement in the L.A. D.A.'s race to @GeorgeGascon about one month out from Election Day. Garcetti had previously backed @JackieLaceyDA latimes.com/california/sto… Garcetti is the latest elected official to peel off from supporting Lacey. Adam Schiff, Ted Lieu, Anthony Rendon & Herb Wesson (who did not endorse Gascon, but went neutral) have all stepped back from the incumbent in recent months.