There’s one resounding theme which repeats over and over in this story. We were never ready or prepared for what we were about to experience next. While Travis was clearly stressed, anxious, sometimes paranoid, and saying he was lacking sleep is a massive understatement, he was remaining very composed throughout this crazy journey. In fact, [...]
I Don’t Actually Feel Better, At All
After sharing all of the details with the prosecutor, including highlighting the contradicting evidence in the case, the prosecutor responded by asking if I felt better. In that moment I said yes. I had a brief moment of relief in being able to share everything on my mind. But then I returned home. Who knew [...]
The Witness
With the belief I might be able to shed some light on Travis’s case, I arrived 20 minutes early to the witness preparation interview. I received a call from the FBI agent on my way there and somehow the schedule had been confused for meeting at 2 pm rather than 2:30 pm so they thought [...]
The Family Fallout
After growing up in Lincoln, Travis moved to Arizona for 15 years. In 2017 he was looking for a transition to a job or business opportunity that would fulfill him. As part of this transition, Travis returned to Lincoln and stayed with his brother and sister-in-law while he decided what his next move would be. [...]
The Evidence
With just under a week to review the evidence I got to work looking at everything available to me objectively. A new case with fresh eyes, setting aside bias of my criminal justice experience, what I know to be true of Travis’s character, and just following where the evidence led. The evidence the prosecution had [...]
Do As I Say
It was the very next day, June 2nd. I was minding my own business completing another day’s work for the government and my business when my phone rang. Caller ID: FBI. Was it really them, would they call from a number with caller ID because their previous calls had not registered on caller ID? Was [...]
Playing the Odds
There's a common saying in the criminal defense world: "the federal government can indict a ham sandwich," and Travis's defense attorney was disinterested in taking this case to trial. The defense attorney shared a few stats with Travis, and then we began doing additional research to get the full picture. The statistics are terrifying when [...]
The Discovery
Travis’s attorney responded to the letter within the timeframe offered by the prosecution. In our minds we were still erroneously wishing, hoping, and praying the truth would be discovered or the case would be plead down to a misdemeanor. In fact, even Travis’s defense attorney said this should only be a misdemeanor. But this was [...]
The Letter
On May 26, 2022 the waiting ended. Travis received a call from the FBI agent on his case notifying him he was receiving a target letter for charges connected to the investigation. The agent said they could not answer any questions, had been reassigned/assigned to their next case, and would email over the letter. Before [...]
Trust No One
Trust no one. I don’t encourage you to live life this way. It’s haunting, daunting, and draining. But this is where I found myself on February 17th when I picked up the phone and called the FBI agent who I had spoken to a couple days before outside my home. Even though, in doing so, [...]