F. Lee Bailey

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Francis Lee Bailey Jr., commonly referred to as F. Lee Bailey, (born June 10, 1933, in Waltham, Massachusetts), is a legendary American criminal defense lawyer who served as the defense lawyer in the Sam Sheppard re-trial and the court martial of Captain Ernest Medina, among other high profile trials, and was one of the lawyers for the defense in the O.J. Simpson trial. He has also had a number of visible defeats, legal controversies, and personal trouble with the law, and was disbarred for misconduct while defending his client Claude DuBoc.[1] In spite of his difficulties, he still has a reputation for being a highly successful defense attorney, and is the Chairman and CEO of IMPAC, Integrated Control Systems, Inc., a Florida corporation.[2]

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[edit] Education and military service

Bailey went to Kimball Union Academy and graduated in the class of 1950. Bailey studied at Harvard College, and was a member of the class of 1954 [1]. He dropped out of Harvard[2] to join the United States Marine Corps in 1952, and received his aviator wings in 1954. He served as a jet fighter pilot and a legal officer. He was discharged in 1956. Bailey received his LL.B. from Boston University, where he was first in the graduating class of 1960.[citation needed]

[edit] Notable cases

[edit] Sam Sheppard

In 1954, Dr. Sam Sheppard was found guilty in the murder of his wife Marilyn. (The case was believed to be the inspiration for the Fugitive television series (1963-1967) and the 1993 movie.) F. Lee Bailey was hired by Sheppard's brother Stephen Sheppard, at the time a resident of Rocky River, Ohio, to help in his brother's appeal. In 1966, F. Lee Bailey successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that Sheppard had been denied due process, winning a re-trial. A not-guilty verdict followed. This case established Bailey's reputation as a skilled defense attorney and was the first of many high-profile cases.[citation needed]

[edit] "Boston Strangler"

While defendant Albert DeSalvo was in jail for the "Green Man" sexual assaults, he had confessed his guilt in the "Boston Strangler" murders to Bailey. Bailey sought to arrange a deal for DeSalvo to avoid the death penalty in the Strangler murders, in exchange for his confession. Bailey used DeSalvo's murder confession to argue an insanity defense in the sexual assault case. However, DeSalvo was found guilty.[citation needed]

[edit] Dr. Carl A. Coppolino

Dr. Coppolino was accused of murdering his wife, Dr. Carmela Coppolino (August 28, 1965), and Lt. Col. William Farber (July 30, 1963). The prosecution claimed that Coppolino injected