When some of our most self important robed readers were still in high school (1989) , a brave man named Lee Arthur Lawrence was gunned down in the parking lot of the Grocery store he and his wife owned in West Perrine.
Mr. Lawrence was the type of man most people can only aspire to be. In the midst of a crack epidemic that devastated this town, Mr. Lawrence refused to accept the scourge and fought back, chasing drug dealers off of his property and calling the police. Mr. Lawrence was killed for his beliefs by a drug dealing thug named Bobby Lee Robinson who ordered the murder of Mr. Lawrence.
Trivia question: Who represented Mr. Robinson at trial? What was his blockbuster defense unveiled during opening? And what happened to the lawyer because of the defense? What judge appointed the lawyer and what happened to that judge between the guilt and sentencing phases of the trial?
Weekend news:
Don't forget to send in your suicide pool picks as we enter week 5.
It was a pleasant 71 degrees this morning about an hour before sunrise as we biked over the Key Biscayne bridge. High today in the mid 80's.
Here's more evidence why that diet soda may be killing you.
DC may be under estimating Obama.....Trump's going to run for president.......and an aide to Jerry Brown, who's running for governor in California, discussed with Brown the possibility of calling his opponent Meg Whitman a ho.
Enjoy the long weekend.
20 comments:
Alan Soven. There was no defense. The offerance in the opeing was was just to see if the jurors were paying attention
It was indeed Mr. Soven. But he made a very specific allegation in opening.
That the real gunman would testify at trial and exonerate Robinson. Sepe arrested.
The Captain Reports:
There were even more allegations going on with that case outside Sepe's courtroom.
Cap Out ....
He alleged that the victim's kid ordered the hit....
That was indeed the last time I spoke to Soven. He told the jury a fabrication in opening, told them that he had lied to them in summation - all to show that there could have been other theories.
Why the Bar did not suspend him from practicing law at his client's expense [and remaining years] has always been a mystery to me.
Alan Soven told the jury in opening that Lee Arthur Lawrence was killed by his son Lee Arthur Lawrence jr without a scintilla of evidence to back it up. In closing he then told the jury that he said that to get their attention. The Supremes reversed the conviction based on direct appeal not a 3.850 totally upon the ineffectives of Soven. Yet he was never disciplined by the Bar or the Supremes and allowed to do Death Penalty cases. His former law partener and friend Al Sepe was the judge and appointed Soven to the case was arrested immediately after the jury unanimously recommended the a sentence of death.
Meg Whitman changed eBay from eBay to an amazon.com wanna-be, and eBay it's never been the same since.
sepe was indicted,tried to a mistrial and then took a plea.Alphonso was a real piece of work. we will not see his likes ever again.I tried many cases before him and actually liked him despite trying to make you pick a jury in 15 minutes.unlike most of the judges today, he was an excellent prosecuter and defense atty. He liked getting head from defendants wifes. that got him in trouble orginally.
Soven’s opening statement was
dedicated to the theory that the victim’s son hired three men to kill his father.
I believe Soven stated that the son of the deceased did it then offered no evidence to support the claim, hence the reversal. In closing Soven stated he said it to see if the jury was paying attention. Ouch!
Well I think everybody is correct. Alan Soven, was appointed by Judge Sepe, his former law partner, and Soven also later admitted to receiving 2 payments of $1,000 in cash from the Defendant's family (Soven was appointed but the mother of the defendant testified Soven asked for 10K and her son would walk because he ate dinner with the judge- Soven testified at the hearing that he accepted what he thought were gifts) .
Soven tried the case without finishing discovery and told the jury in opening statement- without one scintilla of evidence to back it up that he would prove the victim's son hired people to kill his father. And people wonder why lawyers have such bad reputations.
The defendant was convicted and between guilt and punishment phases the courtbroom search warrants were issued and executed on several judges including Judge Sepe, who was removed from the case.
Go Noles!
elinor brecher, in typical hack fashion, wrote a lazy article and missed an opportinty to capture so much
that is now here on the blog
good stuff, these tales.
horrible corruption and incompetence, but as they say...truth and fiction.....
things were so much more exciting back then! now we just have fax machine wars and "i want this chamber" situations. as for me, i am moving to bangkok and forgetting the entire experience, especially the suicide pool of 2010!
Soven is an excellent attorney, one of the best.
If the Court broom case had never happened the conviction against Robinson would have been affirmed. Only because of Soven's past relationship with sepe and the FBI sting against the Judge for other reasons did Soven become a scapegoat to reverse the conviction. Because lord knows we can't have a killer get convicted while the Judge is arrested immediately after the fact.
The proof is in the re-trial of the case in which Soven or Sepe had no part, Robinson was again convicted.
Don't believe everything you read. Try and do some research before smearing a great lawyer.
FYI Robinson's family lied to get him free in the middle of the biggest FBI sweep of Judges, he got lucky that one of the Judge's just so happen to be on his case. His case on review got extra attention.
how long was soven suspended from practicing law for his antics in that case?
To Sunday, October 10, 2010 4:30:00 AM
Amen!
Rumpole, you are a jackass!
Isn't it Napeolean Bonaparte Broward? Maybe they practice Nepeoleanonic law up there?
Soven a great lawyer? U people are fucking nuts
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