Jasmine Stanley gets new trial

Jasmine Stanley, a woman who has been behind bars for alleged cruelty to her children, gets a new trial and Judge David Ritchie has vacated Stanley's sentence.

Stanley was expected to post bond and be released from jail later this afternoon. The judge's reason for giving Stanley a new trial was, in part, due to ineffective assistance of counsel.

She was represented by a public defender who says his huge caseload and under funding resulted in ineffective representation of Stanley.

Defense attorneys hired by Stanley say they have evidence they believe proves she is innocent. They predict charges against her will be dropped.

No new trial date has been sent.

At the end of this story, read the complete statement issued by Stanley's defense attorney.

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 Statement by defense attorney Adam Johnson:

"Yes, we can confirm that Jasmine Stanley's sentence has been vacated and she has been granted a new trial. A new trial date has not been set because the DA's office is re-investigating evidence pointed out by the defense. We are hopeful that the charges against her will be dismissed in the near future. Jasmine has maintained her innocence from the time these charges were originally brought, she has unjustly and unconstitutionally served a four (4) year prison sentence and we are so grateful the Court has taken the corrective action taken today. In times like this it is imperative that those charged with criminal offenses have someone to adequately protect their rights – especially when those presumed innocent are in fact innocent! The Court ruled today that she was not given proper representation and the injustice that followed this faulty representation was catastrophic. On behalf of Jasmine and her family, we would also like to thank everyone who continued to pray for her during this difficult time."