This Saturday on Both Sides of the Bench, we're talking about constructive possession, spousal privilege, and why dating the wrong person can sometimes turn into a criminal case. If drugs are found in a house, whose drugs are they? And if both of you get arrested, can your spouse testify against you?

We'll also break down the Broadmoor shooting that led to a murder charge and discuss why the answer to "Can I shoot someone breaking into my car?" isn't as simple as most people think.

Plus, the Mississippi Supreme Court has agreed to hear the Saint Patrick's Day murder case involving Jordan Cummings, putting self-defense law back in the spotlight.

📻 Saturday • 11:00 AM 🎙️ 103.9 WYAB 📱 Live on Facebook & YouTube

Watch who you date. Watch who you marry. And for the love of God, watch whose drugs are in your house.

We'll be discussing the shooting on Broadmoor Drive and a question that always generates strong opinions: Can you legally shoot someone for breaking into your car?

We'll also talk about constructive possession and why dating the wrong person can sometimes lead to criminal charges you never saw coming.

The law and common sense don't always line up, and we'll break down where they do and where they don't.

Join me tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. on 103.9 WYAB or right here on Facebook.

He also discusses how online commentary can distort public perception of criminal cases and what jurors are actually asked to decide in the courtroom. Based on his experience on both sides of the aisle, Shaun examines the law, the strategy, and the facts behind one of the most talked-about trials in the country.

In this episode of Both Sides of the Bench, former prosecutor and Mississippi criminal defense attorney Shaun Yurtkuran breaks down the reality behind refusing a breathalyzer. Learn the difference between roadside breath tests and the Intoxilyzer, why refusing can trigger a 90-day license suspension, and why the famous "I only had two drinks" explanation never seems to work.

Shaun shares practical, real-world insight from both sides of the courtroom and explains why legal myths often sound better than they work in practice. If you've ever wondered whether refusing a breath test helps or hurts your case, this episode is for you.

In this episode of Both Sides of the Bench, former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney Shaun Yurtkuran breaks down the evidence, the law, and the defense strategy that continues to divide lawyers across the country. Shaun explains the difference between direct and circumstantial evidence, how prosecutors prove intent, why Hollywood's version of premeditation is often wrong, and why he believes the decision to waive a jury trial may have been the defense's biggest mistake.

Drawing on 21 years of courtroom experience and comparing the case to a fatal crash prosecution from his own career, Shaun examines the question at the heart of The Crash: When does reckless driving become murder?

Was the evidence enough to prove intent beyond a reasonable doubt? And would twelve jurors have reached the same conclusion as the judge?

Join the discussion.

We'll discuss the latest development in the federal Jackson bribery case, where the plea deadline has come and gone with no notices filed indicating that any defendant intends to plead guilty. What does that mean for former Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, Hinds County DA Jody Owens, Aaron Banks, and the upcoming trial?

Plus, a preview of today's 11 a.m. show on Netflix's The Crash. Did Mackenzie Shirilla's defense team make a critical mistake by waiving a jury trial? As a former prosecutor and criminal defense lawyer, I'll break down the strategy, the evidence, and why this case has lawyers debating it nationwide.

Join me live this morning and again at 11 a.m. for the full show.

Shaun breaks down common legal myths surrounding Castle Doctrine, Stand Your Ground, shootings inside the home, self defense involving vehicles, and what happens when police respond after a violent encounter. He also discusses how alcohol, ego, and firearms often collide in ways that lead to tragic outcomes and criminal charges.

The episode also dives into some of the most common pieces of “legal bro science” people believe, including myths about Miranda rights, talking to police, warning shots, self defense law, and when force becomes retaliation. Using stories from years prosecuting violent crimes in Jackson and now defending clients charged with serious offenses, Shaun explains the difference between what people think the law is and what Mississippi law actually says.

In this episode, criminal defense lawyer and former prosecutor Shaun Yurtkuran breaks down two of the biggest legal questions surrounding the upcoming federal bribery trial involving Hinds County DA Jody Owens, former Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, and Aaron Banks.

First, where will the jury actually come from? Shaun explains how federal jury selection works in the Southern District of Mississippi, why jurors will be pulled from 18 different counties across central and eastern Mississippi, and why many potential jurors may know little or nothing about the case.

The show also dives deep into the entrapment defense and the FBI’s undercover sting operation involving fake real estate developers and alleged bribery schemes. Shaun explains what entrapment actually means, why these defenses almost never work in federal court, and how prosecutors use recordings and undercover operations to prove predisposition.

Former prosecutor insight. Defense lawyer perspective. Plain English breakdowns of how the system really works.

In this episode, criminal defense lawyer and former prosecutor Shaun Yurtkuran breaks down one of the most misunderstood defenses in American criminal law: entrapment.

What does entrapment actually mean? Are undercover cops and FBI agents allowed to lie, create fake businesses, run fake bribery schemes, and pretend to be criminals? Where is the legal line between uncovering crime and creating it?

Shaun explains why entrapment defenses almost never succeed, how prosecutors use recordings and undercover operations to prove “predisposition,” and why juries usually come back to one simple question: “Why didn’t the defendant just say no?”

The episode also discusses famous entrapment cases involving John DeLorean, Jacobson v. United States, and Sherman v. United States, along with the psychology behind why some jurors distrust undercover government operations while others see them as legitimate law enforcement tactics.

Plain English legal analysis from both the prosecutor and defense perspective.

A lot of people believe the jury will come only from Hinds County, but federal court works very differently. Shaun breaks down how jurors are drawn from 18 counties across the Northern Division of the Southern District of Mississippi.

The episode also explains why this case is completely different from the Ted DiBiase Jr. welfare case, how FBI undercover sting operations changed the nature of the prosecution, and why the government believes recordings and alleged payoff schemes make this a far more traditional public corruption case.

Why? Because in federal conspiracy cases, everybody starts doing the math once the recordings, money trail, and sentencing exposure become real.

In this clip, I break down how cooperation agreements actually work, why prosecutors love turning co-defendants against each other, and why the pressure inside these cases gets brutal once trial starts getting closer.

The biggest difference? In the DeLorean case, the government looked like it was dragging a financially desperate businessman into a crime that would not have existed without them. In the Owens case, prosecutors are going to argue the recordings show somebody who already understood exactly how political bribery worked long before the FBI showed up.

That distinction is the entire ballgame in federal court.

What is entrapment really? Can the FBI create fake crimes? Are undercover agents allowed to lie, buy drinks, fly targets around, and pretend to pay bribes? Shaun explains how federal sting operations actually work behind the scenes and why entrapment defenses almost never succeed.

The show also dives into the infamous John DeLorean cocaine sting case, the difference between uncovering corruption and manufacturing it, and the uncomfortable reality of the “trial penalty” in America’s criminal justice system, where defendants who go to trial and lose often receive far harsher sentences than those who plead guilty.

Former prosecutor perspective. Defense lawyer perspective. No law school lecture. Just how the system really works.

Hour One focuses on one of the biggest misconceptions people have about the justice system: police are not your personal investigators, therapists, or defense team. Shaun breaks down how traffic stops, interrogations, Miranda rights, and simple roadside conversations often become the foundation of criminal prosecutions.

Hour Two dives into how people accidentally build cases against themselves through panic, social media, jail calls, talking to witnesses, deleting evidence, and trying to “clear things up.” Shaun also walks listeners step-by-step through what actually happens during a first-offense DUI in Mississippi, from the initial traffic stop all the way through plea negotiations or trial.

If you’ve ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes in criminal investigations, this is the episode you do not want to miss.

We discuss domestic violence charges, protective orders, no-contact orders, harassment laws, revenge porn statutes, gun rights, and the growing role phones, screenshots, texts, and social media posts play in criminal investigations.

What is the difference between a protective order and a no-contact order? Can a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction affect your federal gun rights? Can repeated texting become a criminal offense? What happens when private photos get used as revenge after a breakup?

We also discuss celebrity examples involving Sean Combs, Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Tiger Woods, and others to show how digital evidence now dominates modern relationship disputes.

Because relationships no longer just end. Now they leave behind screenshots, Ring camera footage, deleted messages, and evidence.

Real law. Real cases. Real-world consequences.

Today’s show dives into the growing wave of lawsuits and massive verdicts against Meta, YouTube, and other tech giants over claims that their algorithms are engineered to maximize addiction, especially among children and teenagers.

Shaun breaks down why these cases are starting to resemble the Big Tobacco litigation of the 1990s, how juries are reacting to the evidence, and what it could mean for the future of social media. Who’s really responsible—the companies designing the platforms or the parents handing kids unlimited access to them?

A conversation about technology, liability, personal responsibility, and where the law may be headed next.

Hour one focuses on modern criminal investigation myths in the digital age: • Can police use your ChatGPT conversations against you? • Does deleting text messages actually delete evidence? • Do police have to tell you they’re recording? • Does passing a polygraph make a case disappear? • Can you sue just because you were arrested? • Do police really need a warrant to search your car?

Then hour two becomes a deep dive into Mississippi DUI misconceptions that people still get completely wrong: • “If I refuse the breathalyzer, they can’t convict me.” • “I can demand a blood test instead.” • “Field sobriety tests are scientific.” • “If I’m under .08, I can’t get convicted.” • “Miranda applies the second I get pulled over.” • The real difference between roadside breath tests, intoxilyzers, and field sobriety exercises.

As a former homicide prosecutor and current criminal defense attorney, Shaun explains what actually happens in court versus what people think happens from TikTok videos, Facebook comments, and stories from “a guy they know.”

If you’ve ever wondered how these laws really work in Mississippi, this is the episode.

In this episode, I break down some of the biggest misconceptions I hear every day—things people believe that actually end up hurting their case. From Miranda rights to DUI refusals, to the idea that a victim can “drop charges,” we walk through how these situations really play out in court.

I’ve handled these cases from both sides—as a former prosecutor and now a defense attorney—and I can tell you this: most people don’t get in trouble because they’re guilty. They get in trouble because they rely on bad information.

If you’ve ever said “they can’t do that,” this episode is for you.

Listen in and learn how the system actually works—before you find yourself in it.

In this episode, I break down three real scenarios that show how quickly things fall apart between what seems obvious and what the law actually requires.

First, an aggravated DUI case where the driver was well over the legal limit, caused a crash, and the victim died—but that still wasn’t enough to guarantee a conviction. The missing piece? Causation.

Then we get into why juries hang up on cases. It’s not always about the evidence. It’s about doubt, personalities, and the one issue jurors just can’t get past.

And finally, a burglary case that makes absolutely no sense on its face—a neighbor breaks into a woman’s home, goes through her personal items, and is later caught wearing her clothing. No theft. No logical motive. Just a reminder that real cases are often stranger than anything you see on TV.

This is how the courtroom actually works.

From there, I get into how I first met Robert Shuler Smith back in Jackson Municipal Court, my initial reaction to him, and how that encounter eventually pulled me into a DA campaign—and into one of the most chaotic, dysfunctional environments I’ve ever seen inside the criminal justice system.

This show is going to be different. I’ll be breaking down real cases, talking about how the system actually works, mixing in news and politics, and taking your calls along the way. If you’ve ever wondered what really goes on behind the scenes in courtrooms, prosecutor’s offices, and criminal cases—you’re in the right place.