LA - ***ARREST*** Mickey Shunick, 21, Lafayette, 19 May 2012 #40

[Foxfire]

I can tell you right now MOST criminal defense attorneys do NOT make a lot of money. Unless they are well known celebrity attorneys(think OJ). In cases such as BSL's the defendants are usually not wealthy and can not afford attorneys in the same stratosphere as Cochran, Shapiro, and F. Lee Bailey. Most are relegated to having court appointed Public Defenders, and these defenders don't make much AT ALL. My husband is an attorney and clerked at a local office for public defenders. He's also been appointed by the courts of La. to do pro bono criminal defense and worked with other public defenders who's only job is capital criminal defense around the country. These people make little to NO money doing this. And it cracks me up how people think that all criminal defense lawyers make mucho dinero. There's a HUGE distinction between Defense Attorneys and CRIMINAL defense attorney's pay.

Nolaallycat, I think the final cost for the defending of Brian Nichols Atlanta-Fulton Co GA, Courthouse shooting/murders reached $7,000,000.00. Nichols attorneys were court appointed and the death penalty was sought. He received life w/o parole although the defense offered a guilty plea for a life sentence before trial.
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/murderer-nichols-tab-3-97168.html

Murderer Nichols' tab: $3 million and growing
.
By RHONDA COOK and STEVE VISSER


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

It cost more than more $3 million to give courthouse killer Brian Nichols a fair trial. The state paid about $2.3 million of the cost, while Fulton County paid about $625,000, according to records released Tuesday.

 

[Nolaallycat]

Nolaallycat, I think the final cost for the defending of Brian Nichols Atlanta-Fulton Co GA, Courthouse shooting/murders reached $7,000,000.00. Nichols attorneys were court appointed and the death penalty was sought. He received life w/o parole although the defense offered a guilty plea for a life sentence before trial.
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/murderer-nichols-tab-3-97168.html

Murderer Nichols' tab: $3 million and growing
.
By RHONDA COOK and STEVE VISSER


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

It cost more than more $3 million to give courthouse killer Brian Nichols a fair trial. The state paid about $2.3 million of the cost, while Fulton County paid about $625,000, according to records released Tuesday.

Ok? Are you saying this is what the public defenders made off this trial? That's not even close to likely. That would be money appointed by the state(tax payers) to provide witness investigations, DNA investigations, things like that. But that wouldn't be the pay of a public defender. Starting salary for a public defender in New Orleans is $40,000. But they also work on average 12 hour days. Probably more if it's capital murder case. While that's a better salary than a lot of people receive its no where near what I think some people think they make.

 

[KajunBelle]

Starting salary for a public defender in New Orleans is $40,000.

Only $40k? Really?!
I always thought I would never be able to be a defense attorney- but now I KNOW I wouldn't do it.. thats insane. Guess I'll stick to payroll!


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[HouDat]

Geezus...that's an incredibly low price at which one sells his/her soul.

 

[WhatsupAZ]

Ok? Are you saying this is what the public defenders made off this trial? That's not even close to likely. That would be money appointed by the state(tax payers) to provide witness investigations, DNA investigations, things like that. But that wouldn't be the pay of a public defender. Starting salary for a public defender in New Orleans is $40,000. But they also work on average 12 hour days. Probably more if it's capital murder case. While that's a better salary than a lot of people receive its no where near what I think some people think they make.

Ya, sorry about that. This all stemmed from my frivolous and uneducated comment last night about defense attor#ys in it for the money.

This came up because somebody was having a hard time resolving how bsl's attorneys can argue a defense for him if they know the details of his guilt.

It wasn't fair for me to assume defense attorneys are in it for the money.

 

[Foxfire]

Ok? Are you saying this is what the public defenders made off this trial? That's not even close to likely. That would be money appointed by the state(tax payers) to provide witness investigations, DNA investigations, things like that. But that wouldn't be the pay of a public defender. Starting salary for a public defender in New Orleans is $40,000. But they also work on average 12 hour days. Probably more if it's capital murder case. While that's a better salary than a lot of people receive its no where near what I think some people think they make.

http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=221972&c=6

Brian Nichols defense tab put at $2.9 million

* Records released on Tuesday show that Fulton County paid defense attorney Henderson Hill nearly $500,000.

The state's share of defense costs was more than $2.3 million, including $463,000 for mental health experts.

Nichols was sentenced in December to life without parole.

 

[megsy]

Geezus...that's an incredibly low price at which one sells his/her soul.

The ones I know aren't trying to get guilty criminals off. They feel passionately about the law and want to ensure fair trials. Not acquittals.

 

[SteveP]

While many of us look upon defense attorneys with disdain at times, I am pretty sure that if any of us were ever in need of one, God forbid, we would want the best one we could afford. I try to remind myself that they are just doing their jobs when they defend criminals. JMO

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[HouDat]

I get that, Megsy. I just know that I could never represent someone who I know (beyond reasonable doubt, or via confession) to be guilty of these kinds of crimes. It's tantamount, IMO, to selling one's soul.

 

[cluciano63]

I'm not arguing with your theory but everyone seems to thinks she must have grabbed a knife from him. Please correct me if I am wrong but didn't MS family say one of the items (along with her mace) that she carried religiously was a knife? Couldn't she have maced him then reached for her own knife? I don't have an article or link that proves this but hoping someone else will. I would really like to know if I have this right.

I believe her friend Brettley came out and said he did not know of her carrying any kind of a weapon, other than her mace. Her family has not said either way. There were rumors of her carrying a box cutter, which one person in MSM picked up and was quoted about, but it is not at all considered a fact.

 

[Nolaallycat]

http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=221972&c=6

Brian Nichols defense tab put at $2.9 million

* Records released on Tuesday show that Fulton County paid defense attorney Henderson Hill nearly $500,000.

The state's share of defense costs was more than $2.3 million, including $463,000 for mental health experts.

Nichols was sentenced in December to life without parole.

Wow! I stand corrected, but that seems highly unusual. At least in most cases, I don't think that's typical, though. Even the $465,000 on mental health experts seems super high. I know in La. It's hard for some pro bono criminal attorneys to even get funding for their cases.

 

[Foxfire]

Ya, sorry about that. This all stemmed from my frivolous and uneducated comment last night about defense attor#ys in it for the money.

This came up because somebody was having a hard time resolving how bsl's attorneys can argue a defense for him if they know the details of his guilt.

It wasn't fair for me to assume defense attorneys are in it for the money.

No worries, WhatsupAZ.. I think Nolaalleycat & I may have used both used examples from both ends of the spectrum to make our points.

The Brian Nichols DP Trial was very high profile case and not the norm.
While NOLO public defenders are suffering from the aftermath of hurricane Katrina and the refusal of Judges to collect a $35 fee from trial convictions which would go to the public defender board's budget.
Public Defender Salary in Monroe, LA - Public Defender Salary
Average range is from $58447 to $87671 and the starting range is from $48133 to $72199.


http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/01/12/33243.htm

Public Defenders Sue 23 New Orleans Judges

BATON ROUGE (CN) - The Louisiana Public Defender Board sued 23 New Orleans judges who fail to collect a $35 fee from criminal defendants who appear before them.

 

[GrannyA.]

I just got back from going there. It is totally abandoned, and where there isn't shell parking/driving area, the grass is overgrown. There are alot of Pipes, I would say you could crawl into. I drove around and some of the small buildings are open and windows broken. One looks like a security building (small) like to check IDs when driving in. It is not blocked you can drive all around in there. I didn't get out of my car, I was alone, because I couldn't get my husband to go with me. There was a building in the front on the left side, driving in, it looked like it was in good repair. But it hasn't been used for years I would say. There were alot of spots that I thought no one would think of looking into. I was too scared to go look by myself. I did get out to check a dumpster that is sitting across from the main office. Nothing at all in there, thank god! I also went across the highway and pulled in to see if I could get to the three pits, but both acess points were gaited and chained. But there is a large over grown coolie (dranage ditch) right after the access road to the pits.
Oh, and also there is NO lighting at all there at night. It is completely dark, as I have been by there late at night.

 

[Geaux Tigers!]

I'm not arguing with your theory but everyone seems to thinks she must have grabbed a knife from him. Please correct me if I am wrong but didn't MS family say one of the items (along with her mace) that she carried religiously was a knife? Couldn't she have maced him then reached for her own knife? I don't have an article or link that proves this but hoping someone else will. I would really like to know if I have this right.

The idea of the knife was discussed a week or so back, and no one was ever able to confirm she actually carried one. She may have. In fact, I hope she did.

I do believe whatever struggle happened either happened in that truck, or in some other confined area. She had fight in her. I do believe she'd have gotten away if it had happened in the open.

This morning, I keep going back to the interview the day of the arrest when BSL's house was being searched. The LE being interviewed called his house "a major crime scene". I don't know what to make of it.

 

[justwannahelp]

I just got back from going there. It is totally abandoned, and where there isn't shell parking/driving area, the grass is overgrown. There are alot of Pipes, I would say you could crawl into. I drove around and some of the small buildings are open and windows broken. One looks like a security building (small) like to check IDs when driving in. It is not blocked you can drive all around in there. I didn't get out of my car, I was alone, because I couldn't get my husband to go with me. There was a building in the front on the left side, driving in, it looked like it was in good repair. But it hasn't been used for years I would say. There were alot of spots that I thought no one would think of looking into. I was too scared to go look by myself. I did get out to check a dumpster that is sitting across from the main office. Nothing at all in there, thank god! I also went across the highway and pulled in to see if I could get to the three pits, but both acess points were gaited and chained. But there is a large over grown coolie (dranage ditch) right after the access road to the pits.
Oh, and also there is NO lighting at all there at night. It is completely dark, as I have been by there late at night.

well, i hope they check this place out. good sleuthing! so scary. old buildings with broken windows give me the heeby jeebys! :nerves:

 

[Foxfire]

Wow! I stand corrected, but that seems highly unusual. At least in most cases, I don't think that's typical, though. Even the $465,000 on mental health experts seems super high. I know in La. It's hard for some pro bono criminal attorneys to even get funding for their cases.

Nolaallycat, yes the Brian Nichols trial example was way out of line by me. The Judge in the trial: Hilton C. Fuller was removed due to the trial costs as well as making a statement in a magazine interview before trial that 'everyone knew that Brian Nichols, was guilty'..

The BS Lavergne trial will also be very high profile and the normal rules and protocol will be out the window. The araignment hearing yesterday is only the beginning, imo..

 

[cluciano63]

The idea of the knife was discussed a week or so back, and no one was ever able to confirm she actually carried one. She may have. In fact, I hope she did.

I do believe whatever struggle happened either happened in that truck, or in some other confined area. She had fight in her. I do believe she'd have gotten away if it had happened in the open.

This morning, I keep going back to the interview the day of the arrest when BSL's house was being searched. The LE being interviewed called his house "a major crime scene". I don't know what to make of it.

Yeah, that "major crime scene" wording could mean they were calling it that since it was the home of someone they have just arrested for murder, or it could mean they had just found something that linked him to Lisa or Mickey's murder or that they had actually found signs that a crime had taken place there. No way of knowing. I think they would consider, and treat his home, as a major crime scene in any case, whether anything was found or not, just to cover the bases.

 

[kkdj]

I just got back from going there. It is totally abandoned, and where there isn't shell parking/driving area, the grass is overgrown. There are alot of Pipes, I would say you could crawl into. I drove around and some of the small buildings are open and windows broken. One looks like a security building (small) like to check IDs when driving in. It is not blocked you can drive all around in there. I didn't get out of my car, I was alone, because I couldn't get my husband to go with me. There was a building in the front on the left side, driving in, it looked like it was in good repair. But it hasn't been used for years I would say. There were alot of spots that I thought no one would think of looking into. I was too scared to go look by myself. I did get out to check a dumpster that is sitting across from the main office. Nothing at all in there, thank god! I also went across the highway and pulled in to see if I could get to the three pits, but both acess points were gaited and chained. But there is a large over grown coolie (dranage ditch) right after the access road to the pits.
Oh, and also there is NO lighting at all there at night. It is completely dark, as I have been by there late at night.

Thanks for checking this out!

 

[katydid23]

BE CAREFUL GRANNYA. But thank you for checking it out.

 

[GrannyA.]

Thanks for checking this out!

You are very welcome, after it was mentioned last night, I was curious about it. I go by there often, but never thought of it that way. It was Yentis that brought it to our attention.
I wonder if it were made known to Abdella, that searches would be done there. I don't know if BSL would use this particualr spot, but I don't think it would hurt for them to look in to it.