Criminal Defense

Appeals/MARs Assault/Murder Drug Offense Sex Offenses Student Disciplinary Hearings W.C.U./ Student Code Violation White Collar Offenses

Randy Seago successfully defended a realtor in a civil case who was being sued for the recovery of a commission.

Melrose, Seago and Lay attorneys Nathan Earwood and Agatha Guy won a new trial for John Thomas Webb in an opinion recently published by the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Mr. Webb was represented by different counsel at trial and was convicted of taking indecent liberties with a minor child. Mr. Earwood and Ms. Guy proved that Mr. Webb was denied his right to a fair trial due to multiple errors by the trial judge.

Read the full North Carolina Court of Appeals Decision in State v. Webb (2009)

State v. Millsaps, (North Carolina Court of Appeals) (2005)

Mr. Melrose and Mr. Seago represented Mr. Millsaps who was accused of first degree murder and other serious felonies involving a shootout with law enforcement officers. Defense counsel raised an insanity defense and presented multiple expert witnesses. Although convicted at trial, Mr. Melrose and Mr. Seago filed an appeal, and Mr. Millsaps was granted a new trial. Ultimately, prosecutors allowed Mr. Millsaps to plead to reduced charges rather than retry him a second time.

State v. Rudisill, 527 S.E.2d 727 (2000)

Defendant Travis Shawn Rudisill, represented by Mark Melrose, pled guilty to taking indecent liberties with a child and was sentenced to a prison term of between 24 and 29 months. The trial judge ruled that the victim's age ("very young") was an aggravating factor in the case, leading to a sentence that exceeded the presumptive sentence for the offense. The Defendant successfully appealed the ruling, arguing that the State had presented no evidence to show that the child's age made him more especially vulnerable.