Michael Wallace Molotov Case

August 11, 2006: Michael Wallace was finally set free, and his original 20 year sentence was reduced to time-served, based on the success of two appeals handled by Valentin Rodriguez and the local public defender’s office. The first appeal helped define the parameters of the 10-20-Life law, and found that prosecutors had to properly prove the elements to trigger the law, which they had not done in Wallace’s case. His 20 year sentence was reduced to 10 years. Not giving up, there was a second appeal, which challenged the original jury instructions on the ground that a sentence could not be enhanced unless the jury was specifically asked to find that the enhancement applied. The amended 10 year sentence was then reduced to time served in August, 2006. (See Palm Beach Post article titled: Judge Sets Free Man Who Threw Molotov, published on August 11, 2006).