THE COLONEL REPORTS

Rumpole is still away, or "on holiday" as he so Britishly puts it. I am next up on the duty roster so gather near troops, take a knee and listen up.

Item one: No funny business here. Closing arguments are scheduled Monday in the murder case involving two students at Coral Gables High school. One child is dead and one is on trial for his life. Nothing funny about this. A very tragic case. Alex Michaels for the defense. The news that came out of the trial Friday was the Judge denying the defense request to put character evidence of the deceased into evidence. A verdict should not come down until Tuesday the earliest.

Item two: Kudos to ASA Gary Winston, one of the good guys. He comes off as a real hero in a case the Herald reported here in which Winston nolle prossed an old murder case when the evidence was not what was indicated in the arrest warrant. Phil Reizenstein for the defense also praised Gary Winston in the article. Good job Gary. You acted in the highest tradition of a prosecutor. You did justice.

Item three: As the Captain reported over the weekend, Abe Laeser for the defense? I'm not going to touch that one with a ten foot pole. That has Rumpole written all over it. Let me just say this: as lawyers we are sworn officers of the court. That is a high responsibility that many of us seem to forget. We represent clients and under take causes, but we are officers of the court. Mr. Laeser has never forgotten that and I think we all should not be surprised that he wants to get back into the ring and litigate a little.

Ok, that's all I got until that Anglophile blogger of ours gets back on his horse and starts writing again.

Dismissed.