High Profile Cases

I am Utah criminal defense trial attorney Susanne Gustin. I am proud of my career focus and dedication to protecting the rights of people charged with criminal offenses. From my Salt Lake City law office, I have handled virtually every type of criminal case.

Listed below are a representative few of some outcomes I have obtained for my clients. If you have been charged with a misdemeanor or felony offense in Salt Lake City or other community throughout Utah, contact me immediately.

• 2013—State v. Martin J. MacNeill: Nationally high-profile case dubbed the “Facelift Murder.” Michele MacNeill was found dead in her bathtub in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Prosecutors accused Martin of forcing his wife Michele to get a facelift and asking the plastic surgeon for a dangerous “cocktail of drugs” that Martin subsequently used to overdose and drown his wife in the bathtub. Originally, the state medical examiner concluded that Michele died of natural causes. The MacNeill daughters believed otherwise. Their suspicions were raised when Martin moved his mistress “Gypsy” into the family home weeks after Michele’s death to be the younger children’s nanny. The case riveted Utah and the nation because MacNeill was a doctor, a lawyer and a prominent member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He was a father of eight children and seemed to live a picture-perfect life. As noted in: CBS News,The Salt Lake Tribune: 10/17/13, 10/9/13, Martin MacNeill.info, HLNTV.com,Court Chatter.com, Court Junkie.com

• 2012—State v. Eric Charlton:
  Charlton, a former Marine, accidentally shot his brother in the head, killing him instantly, while camping at Yuba Lake in Utah County. Charged with manslaughter, at the preliminary hearing, Judge Brady refused to “bind over” the case on the second-degree felony manslaughter charges. The community rallied behind Eric Charlton. His devastation at his involvement in his brother’s death was obvious to those following the case. Eric Charlton continues to speak to the media and youth groups about the dangers of mixing alcohol and firearms. As noted in: Desert News, KSL.com

• 2009– State v. David James
  (“DJ”) Bell: DJ Bell was accused of kidnapping his next-door neighbors’ children during a 4th of July party. Bell, a gay man, and his partner were beaten within an inch of their lives by the neighbors in alcohol-fueled mob scene. The community rallied behind Bell, calling the situation a hate-crime with no connection to any kidnapping. Bell was acquitted and has resumed a new life in Seattle. As noted in: Good4Utah.com, Desert News, The Salt Lake Tribune

If you have been charged with a serious crime, contact a defense attorney who will represent you skillfully during plea negotiations and at trial.