Murder in the Courtroom
by
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The guard opened the gate and stepped aside with a deferential smile and nod.
“According to the best information available in this place, you, Mr. Bell, are a former prosecutor who has been on the defense side for almost ten years. You are substantially above average in trial work. Before you ask why I am entitled to - or as some would say - reduced to using appointed counsel, I want you to know that not less than twenty of your colleagues in the criminal defense bar have declined to represent me for pay. Which pay, I might add, would be substantial. It was after Judge Parker was convinced of the unwillingness of lawyers to represent me, including all of the attorneys in
He checked himself. “I have read all of the statements supplied by the D.A. to date. I’ve read the three investigation reports. I am not a lawyer, nor am I a fool. I am going to supply you with two facts, which, on my mother’s eyes, I swear are true. It will make your job of proving me innocent easier. “
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About the Book
Why can’t Philadelphia mob boss Carmine Baldasano get a mob lawyer – or any lawyer – to represent him in a case where he is charged with the vicious murder of a prostitute? John Bell becomes his fourth court-appointed attorney. Each of the former attorneys withdrew from the case, giving the judge lame excused for doing so. Judge Stanford Parker summarily drafts Bell to represent Baldasano and places Bell on an unrealistically short trial schedule. Judge Parker’s courtroom demeanor makes him look like a co-prosecutor with Radcliff Bogan. the ruthless and determined assistant district attorney. Bell puts off preparing the case for trial because he is invited by a lawyer he knows only casually to take part in a drug case where there are several defendants and he will be only one of many experienced lawyers. He can’t resist the promise of easy and substantial money with a minimum of effort. Joining the other defendants’ lawyers led by well-known mob lawyer Augie DiGuilio in several trips to the Atlantic City casinos, Bell meets Connie Lascalzo, a red-haired, green-eyed bombshell and former showgirl. At the crap tables she displays a delightful sense of humor, a skilled hand at craps and, later, seductive dance talents. Bell shortly finds himself in bed with her. Serious obstacles impede Bell’s preparation for trial. The trial date is advanced without prior notice to Bell; his investigator is the victim of a suspicious, disabling hit-and-run accident which makes him unavailable; and the lives of Bell’s young daughters are threatened as the trial is about to begin. Bell is outraged and ashamed when he discovers he has been an unwitting player in an insidious plot to murder Baldasano in the courtroom. Bell finds himself squarely between competing mob families and quickly realizes Baldasano’s enemies are using the criminal justice system to disgrace him and assure that he gets the death penalty. It takes all of Bell’s self-discipline and ingenuity as he belatedly tries to make up for lost time in preparing for trial. There is a fascinating series of twists and turns and courtroom surprises as he attempts to rescue his client whom he now believes to be innocent. This book is designed to be read in its entirety on any coast-to-coast airline flight or any international flight.
About the Author
The author is a Philadelphia lawyer, a veteran defense attorney of over twenty murder trials, whose first-hand knowledge enhances the authenticity of the trial from the intense preparation; selection of the jury; dramatic delivery of courtroom dialogue and the final verdict.