Needing some help

Jendall Kenner came into our office today to ask for representation on a recent burglary charge. Jendall says that last month, a friend called him sometime in the afternoon and invited him to a party that night at 128 Oakland Street. He knows now that he mistakenly wrote the address as 182 Oakland Street. He admits that he was already really drunk when he caught a city bus to the party.

When he arrived at 182 Oakland Street around 6:00 p.m., he wasn’t surprised that the party had not yet begun. It was still early. He didn’t see anyone at the house and the door was unlocked, so he went inside to wait for other people to show up. While he waited, he helped himself to a few more beers from the refrigerator, and he turned on the stereo to help “get the party started.” He suspects he then must have passed out, because he woke up on the kitchen floor with a police officer standing over him with a gun pointed at him. The arrest report says that the police arrived at 8:43 p.m. after the homeowners arrived home and called to report an intruder.

Jendall explains that he feels really bad about the whole incident, but he isn’t a criminal. It was all just a big mistake that he doesn’t want to ruin his life. He has asked that we represent him to try to get the burglary charge dropped.

Jendall has been charged under the burglary statute located at Code of Virginia § 18.2-92.

Instructions:

Draft a legal memorandum to your supervising attorney regarding this client’s matter. Research the burglary statute indicated above and any case law related to this issue that you find helpful. Be sure to cite your sources. Accurately identify the elements of burglary contained in the statute. Compare the facts above with the elements of burglary to see if the client has been charged correctly. Make a recommendation as to whether we should accept this client’s case and what result we should expect if we take this case to trial.

Required Criteria:

In addition to fulfilling the specifics of the Assignment, a successful paper must also meet the following criteria:

• Length should be 1-2 pages, excluding cover page and references page.
• Double-spaced and in a 12-point font
• Viewpoint and purpose should be clearly established and sustained
• Assignment should follow the conventions of Standard American English (correct grammar, punctuation, etc.).
• Writing should be well ordered, logical and unified, as well as original and insightful.
• Your work should display superior content, organization, style, and mechanics.
• Appropriate citation style should be followed.