Kenosha County Eye has heard from many defense attorneys that Carli McNeill (D) is a terrible trial prosecutor. She’s lost many serious cases at trial in front of a jury. In contrast to McNeill, Michael Graveley (D), the current DA, told KCE that he can only recall losing once or twice in his career, which is nearly three times longer than McNeill’s. Graveley is, objectively, a skilled trial prosecutor. He commands the courtroom and knows how to convince a jury of someone’s guilt.

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Unfortunately for Graveley, he has recently only taken on clear-cut, high-profile cases, which explains his high conviction rate. He opted not to prosecute the Kyle Rittenhouse case because he recognized it was unwinnable. His deputy, Carli McNeill, was the one who charged Rittenhouse but ultimately chose not to prosecute case, knowing it would be very difficult to win.

His Deputy, or, second-in-charge, Carli McNeill, charged Kyle Rittenhouse, but she refused to prosecute the case. She also knew it was unwinnable.

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KCE decided to take a look at McNeill’s trial history and found it to be abysmal. Prosecutors should be at about 95%. They, after all, decide which cases to charge, continue, and finally, take to a jury. They shouldn’t take cases to a jury they know they can’t win. We made a public records request to Graveley and one to the Clerk of Courts, Rebecca Matoska (D). We were surprised that the lists we received were different. It could be that they used different methods, or that the intentionally didn’t want us to have accurate records. We don’t know. Carli wins about 59% of her cases that we have records of. This means that she has one of the lowest conviction rates in the state. McNeill has achieved some victories, including cases supported by DNA evidence and others with full confessions. Given the state’s virtually unlimited resources, it’s expected that she would win some cases.

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We are focusing on some of her high-profile loses:

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MJ was charged with:
Armed Robbery
Possession of a Firearm by a Felon
Bail Jumping x 2
Carrying a Concealed Weapon
Possession With Intent Marijuana

Police and prosecutors alleged that MJ took out a gun and told a man “this is a robbery!” Money was allegedly taken. Police found MC and the gun. They also found 22.8 grams of marijuana in individual baggies.

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McNeill took this case to trial. NOT GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES.

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KG was charged with:

Felony First Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety – Use of a Dangerous Weapon
Carrying a Concealed Weapon

Police and prosecutors alleged that KG was involved in a shooting that occurred in the 4500 block of 37th Ave where three gunshots occurred.

McNeill took this case to trial. NOT GUILTY ON First Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety.

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MM was charged with:

Felony Substantial Battery
Disorderly Conduct

Police and prosecutors allege that MM beat a man so badly in a bar fight, that the man lost consciousness.

McNeill took this case to trial. NOT GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES

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RN was charged with:

Felony Strangulation and Suffocation
Battery
Disorderly Conduct

Police and prosecutors allege that RN strangled a man and beat him into unconsciousness.

McNeill took this case to trial. NOT GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES
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MB was charged with:

Felony Substantial Battery/ Domestic Abuse
Disorderly Conduct/ Domestic Abuse

Police and prosecutors allege that MB put out a lit cigarette on his girlfriend’s face causing serious injury.

McNeill took this case to trial. NOT GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES

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TJ was charged with:

Felony Strangulation and Suffocation / Domestic Abuse
Disorderly Conduct / Repeater / Domestic Abuse
Disorderly Conduct / Repeater / Domestic Abuse
Battery
Criminal Damage to Property

Police and prosecutors allege that TJ strangled his live-in girlfriend and broke her phone becuase of an argument.

McNeill took this case to trial. NOT GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES except one misdemeanor charge of Disorderly Conduct.

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TC was charged with:

Felony Strangulation and Suffocation
Battery
Disorderly Conduct
Bail Jumping

Police and prosecutors allege that TC choked and beat his girlfriend in a hotel room.

McNeill took this case to trial. NOT GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES

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KJ was charged with:

Battery / Domestic Abuse
Disorderly Conduct / Domestic Abuse

Police and prosecutors allege that KJ was intoxicated and punched her dad in the mouth, causing injury.

McNeill took this case to trial. NOT GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES

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JN was charged with:

Felony Substantial Battery – Intend Bodily Harm
Felony Strangulation and Suffocation
Disorderly Conduct

Police and prosecutors allege that JN strangled his girlfriend at a motel, choked her, and committed disorderly conduct.

McNeill took this case to trial. NOT GUILTY ON Felony Substantial Battery – Intend Bodily Harm. The rest were found guilty.

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JD was charged with:

Battery / Domestic Abuse
Disorderly Conduct / Domestic Abuse

Police and prosecutors allege that JD pushed his girlfriend and she almost fell over during an argument.

McNeill took this case to trial. NOT GUILTY ON Battery / Domestic Abuse, Guilty On DC

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In what could be considered one of the most ironic cases, McNeill faced off against her opponent, defense attorney Xavier Solis, in a jury trial.

NP was charged with:

Felony Possession with Intent / Marijuana
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Police and prosecutors allege that NP had a glass of marijuana in his car. They said it he was a drug dealer.

McNeill took this case to trial. NOT GUILTY ON Felony Possession with Intent / Marijuana

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Opinion:

An Oregon court rightfully warned: “A charge that one has committed a felony and should undergo a trial on the charge is, short of a conviction and sentence, the gravest act by which the state confronts one of its citizens. Whether or not a conviction follows, prosecution alone imposes heavy burdens on the defendant.”

So when talking about McNeill’s terrible trial records, she has either done one of two things – she let bad guys go free by being incompetent, or she took innocent people to trial. Either one is equally as abhorrent. She is ruining lives either way.

McNeill is running around the community saying that Solis “never prosecuted a case” in his life. She’s right, but he has been to trial many times as a criminal defense attorney and won. A defense attorney in this County is “David” and the DA’s Office is “Goliath.” Yet, he still wins. McNeill criticizes Solis for winning trials, but that’s his job, right? We have a constitution to protect the rights of everyone. If McNeill had her choice, Rittenhouse would be in prison at this very moment. Instead, he had the right to a fair trial and got one. He was acquitted of all charges.

Would you rather have a terrible prosecutor, or a new prosecutor that will act ethically? Solis is the better choice. If she can’t win trials, how can she run a DAs office?