F INISHING M ACHINE
(Was it Road Rage Murder or Self-Defense?
A Trained Killer's Fight for Justice)
True Crime Defense Attorney Case Files: Book 1
by
MIKE ARNOLD & EMILIA GARDNER
Eugene, Or e .
Published by
Versus Publishing
401 East 10 th Ave, Suite 400, Eugene, Oregon 97401
Phone: (541) 525-9117
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Title: Finishing Machine: Was it Road Rage Murder or Self-Defense? A Trained Killer's Fight for Justice
Authors: Mike Arnold and Emilia Gardner
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, storage or retrieval system, without written permission from one of the authors or the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Images and photos are from the public record, owned by Versus Publishing, or rights given to Versus Publishing.
Cover/Book Design and Production by Damonza.com
Editing by Ellen Wojahn
Copyright 2016 by Versus Publishing
All rights reserved, including but not limited to the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
First Edition, 2016
E-book ISBN: 978-0-9978484-2-7
Disclaimer: This book is a work of creative nonfiction, which Lee Gutkind, the godfather of the genre, defines as nonfiction that employs techniques like scene, dialogue, description, while allowing personal point of view and voice (reflection) rather than maintaining the sham of objectivity. The authors do not claim to be objective, and whenever we determined it was necessary, we have changed names, details, and determining characteristics of people.
This book is intended for enjoyment purposes only. The authors of this book are licensed to practice law in Oregon. Nothing in this book makes the reader a client of the authors or of the authors' law firm and this book is not intended as legal advice. If the reader has questions of a legal nature or needs legal advice, the reader should contact and consult with a licensed attorney in the appropriate jurisdiction. If the reader believes he or she is a client of the authors just by reading this book, the reader should contact and consult with a licensed psychological professional.
Dedication
To Gerald Strebendt. While we went about the business of living our normal lives, Gerald went about the business of surviving the hours, minutes, and seconds of a life interrupted. Watching him handle himself with grace and dignity in the face of hardship cannot help but inspire us. Gerald, we are so glad that you chose us to represent you. We are proud of you, and we cant wait for you to come home.
(Photo: Gerald Strebendt before the case.)
There are two things I cant stand: liars and bullies. If our government is doing both, we will scorch that bully with the cleansing power of sunlight and truth.
MIKE ARNOLD
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
About the Authors
(Photo: Summer 2008; Husum Falls, White Salmon River, Husum, Wash. Mike guiding Emilia off a waterfall three weeks before Emilias first day at Arnold Law. Their first and only real waterfall together but the first of many metaphorical plunges. Photo credit: Andrew Coit.)
Mike Arnold is a trial attorney in Eugene, Oregon. He grew up in Parkville, Missouri, and moved to Oregon to attend law school. He tells stories for a living, delivering a narrative through facts and evidence to juries around the state. Often, these courtroom stories end with a jury's two-word verdict . Mike also enjoys telling stories to his daughter. These tend to be more complicated tales that reveal, to Abigail's dismay, that someone in the family is actually an alien or a robot.
Mike gained notoriety as an attorney when he stood on the courthouse steps as Ammon Bundy's attorney and told the remaining occupiers of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge to "please stand down." In the aftermath of the standoff he was credited with assisting in the negotiation of a peaceful resolution for the four remaining holdouts of the Oregon occupation.
Another of Mike's murder cases was featured on a CBS "48 Hours" episode entitled "Trail of Tears."
Mike is also the host of a legal podcast called Law Is War with Mike Arnold , which includes episodes with analysis of the Ammon Bundy (Oregon Standoff) verdict, murder of Nancy Cooper , trial objections , jury selection , jury nullification , etc.
Emilia Gardner is an Oregon attorney. Reading was her first love, and there were no bounds to what genre of book she could and would curl up with and enjoy. A love of writing soon followed, but it would never take the place of consuming the words on the page written by others. Emilia is a straightforward woman and attorney, and her communication style is evident in her writing: simple, to the point, and effective.
Thanks for reading this book. As a FREE BONUS gift to our readers, click here to receive your free copy of our e-book short reads, including A Lawyers Guide to Hiring a Lawyer and Inadmissible Science: Polygraphs in Court !
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Acknowledgments
This book would not have been possible without the patience and support of our families and office colleagues. In particular, we offer a special and heartfelt thank you to Mikes wife and law partner Jacy Arnold, who supported us unflaggingly, despite us having come off of a marathon sprint of cases that culminated in 2016 with the Ammon Bundy case.
Words alone cannot express our thanks to our editor Ellen Wojahn who helped us take a series of ideas and stories and make them into something more. Her professionalism and advice were vital for our first full-length book.
Thank you to our legal assistant Meagan Greely who worked tirelessly on Geralds case with us, often the silent partner in the background. Thank you to Lissa Casey, our colleague at Arnold Law, for her creativity and advice throughout our representation of this client. Thank you to Ashleigh Dougill for her late night pro-bono edits and comments in the early stages of drafting.
Thank you to Joanna Martinez from the Crofut family for speaking to us about her father and this case. We reached out to many of the key characters of this book for comment, including the family of the decedent, judges, district attorney, and detectives. Only Joanna chose to comment.
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