The author of a self-published book called "Please Break the Law" is accused of doing just that, in what is one of the most bizarre criminal cases I've ever run across.
Nicholas Adjuder has been in custody for more than seven years after being arrested for the murder of his brother, unable to raise enough money to meet the $2,000,000 bail conditions imposed by the courts. Now Adjuder is finally facing a jury of his peers in a California courtoom, and things are going about as well as you'd expect for someone who once advised readers to "don't worry about getting caught," since "the government has not been able to stop the flow of illegal drugs into this country ever since the Nixon administration declared a war on drugs."
"So what makes anybody believe the government could ever catch you?," Adjurer wondered.
Well, in his case it wasn't too difficult for the government to catch him, though it's unclear if he illegally possessed the gun he allegedly used to murder his brother. There's no real dispute that Adjurer shot and killed Christopher Thomas on Christmas Eve back in 2017, at least between the prosecutor and the defense attorney. Their only question is whether it was murder, self-defense. Adjuder, however, has a third option he's pitching jurors: he's innocent, and this is all a coverup and conspiracy on the part of local police and prosecutors.
Adjuder sees a pathway to freedom, though it involves convincing a jury that one of his brother’s two supposed gunshot wounds was actually the result of a catheter installed by an incompetent medical professional, and that the entire justice system has conspired to cover it up. Thus far he has been unable to even convince his attorney, who delivered an opening statement Tuesday that defied his client’s wishes, then put Adjuder on the stand to make his case.
“Mr. Adjuder is unwell,” defense attorney Matthew Fregi told jurors Tuesday, as his client lowered his head to a courtroom desk a few feet away, then rested it there without moving. “What you will learn of Nicolas Adjuder is that he has no insight, no self-awareness and can’t tell how he’s coming off to others.”
Maybe Adjuder should put that as a blurb on the Amazon page for the his book, which can be had for the low, low price of $54.50 (or $44.99 if you don't mind a used copy). The defendant seems to be living up to his attorney's introduction, based on the courtroom reporting from the Mercury News.
On the witness stand Tuesday afternoon, Adjuder gave jurors a profanity-laced, blow-by-blow recap of that fatal Christmas Eve of 2017. The two brothers lived together in San Pablo but quarreled often. Adjuder said this was just a normal part of how family members interact, recounting how another family member had slapped him when he stole a copy of Prince’s album Purple Rain in 1985.
During cross-examination, Adjuder didn’t attempt to hide his disdain for prosecutor Jay Melaas, and was admonished by the judge for calling Melaas a “pimp” in one answer.
“I laugh at you,” Adjuder told Melaas in response to a question about the brothers’ relationship. To another, he said, “This is pathetic. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
On the witness stand, Adjuder admitted to threatening to murder his current defense attorney, and acknowledged that he slapped his previous attorney in what he claims was an attempt to get a new lawyer. He also maintained that while he did shoot at his brother that night, he actually missed and has been framed by local police and the Contra Costa County prosecutor (though it's unclear who Adjuder believes is the real murderer).
In addition to his work as a self-published author who encourages readers to carry guns illegally, cheat on their taxes, and do illegal drugs, Adjuder also claims to be the owner of a business called Sunday Life Coaching, which is just the cherry on top of this nutty sundae.
Ironically, Adjuder's now serving as a pretty good life coach by serving as an example of how not to live.
As amusing as all this is, the fact remains that this case is ultimately a tragedy and not a farce.
Prosecutors have described Adjuder as a cold-blooded executioner with annoying habits, who killed one of the only people who was willing to indulge his eccentricities. Adding to the tragedy, the brothers’ mom was in the home at the time, and Thomas staggered to her after being shot. He was hospitalized for two weeks, then died from his wounds, leading to the murder charge against Adjuder.
I feel for Adjuder's mom, who lost one son already and will likely soon lose another to the criminal justice system. A 2018 story detailing Adjuder's arrest contains the heartbreaking fact that Thomas appeared to be recovering from his injuries before his health took a turn for the worse. The story also quoted Edna Adjuder's testimony during the May, 2018 preliminary hearing for Nicholas, where she told those in the courtroom. "if you got kids, you better start thinking about it because I never thought in a million years this could have happened.”
This is a one-in-a-million case in a lot of respects, and I'm extremely curious to learn what the jurors will do. Remember, they don't have to buy Adjuder's story about a conspiracy to frame him for murder. So long as they decide that the prosecutors haven't proven beyond a reasonable doubt that this was a murder (and one committed by Nicholas Adjuder, not unnamed cops or employees of the DA.), Adjuder could walk out of the courtroom a free man, which would be the ultimate twist in what is truly one of the most unusual cases I've seen in almost 30 years of reporting.
