Crime Girl_S1_Ep1_The Defense Never Rests

Crime Girl_S1_Ep1_The Defense Never Rests

[00:00:00] Welcome to Crime Girl, the podcast where we dive into the most memorable crimes of the past 50 years or so. Cases that have left an indelible mark on our culture, kept us glued to our screens and haunted us long after the final verdict. Was read, I'm Grace Your guide on this exciting journey through the darker side of human nature and the twists and turns we'll take as we examine the crimes at the center of each episode.

Now, if you're anything like me. You've always had a bit of a fascination with crime stories, not just the who done it, but the how done it, the why done it as well. In this inaugural [00:01:00] episode, we're starting off with crimes in which the defendant was represented by a legend in the world of criminal defense, a man who was as controversial as he was.

Brilliant. F Lee Bailey. Bailey's career was nothing short of a rollercoaster filled with high profile cases, courtroom drama, and more than a few headlines. But what really made him stand out was his unshakeable belief that everyone deserves a fair defense no matter how grim the crime or how damning the evidence.

That makes him a hero to me for a very long time. But more about that later. Bailey took on some cases that are as grim as they come, [00:02:00] but fascinating. So grab your favorite beverage, settled into a comfy spot, and let's get started. F Lee Bailey came into my life when I was just 13 years old. I was a bookworm and a bit of a speed breeder.

Books on the shelf were always, it was like my library in our house. One day. My dad points out this small paperback book and he says, don't ever read that. Well, of course I read it immediately. This book captured me from the start, and here's why. This is from the preface to the book. It's called Alone. He is talking about a time when [00:03:00] he was 23 and he was a pilot flying a saber jet and got a warning light and he had to decide whether to use the eject seat and bail out or shut down the engine and try for what's called a dead stick landing.

He chose the ladder and was able to land the plane, and the last paragraph in this preface goes like this. I can still feel the excitement of that moment of decision a mile from the earth. If I ran a school for criminal lawyers, I would teach them all to fly. I would send them up when the weather was rough, when the planes were in tough shape when the birds were walking, the ones who survived would understand the meaning of alone.

If I understand anything, I understand [00:04:00] that I've been a pilot for 17 years. I am also a criminal lawyer. I read that at 13 and I was in, and that was the beginning for me, the beginning of my life in crime, I guess you could say. If you were anywhere near a television set during the sixties and some of you weren't even born yet through the nineties, you probably have heard his name.

Bailey wasn't just a lawyer, he was a courtroom superstar. Imagine a man who could walk into a courtroom, take one, look at the jury, and know exactly how to win them over. That was Eff Lee Bailey. He started his career in the late 1950s and quickly earned a reputation as a maverick, a lawyer who wasn't afraid to take on the toughest cases, [00:05:00] the ones no one else wanted to touch.

His cross examinations were legendary. His closing akins is closing arguments, spell binding. Whether you loved him or you hated him, you couldn't ignore him. Now let's dive into one of Bailey's most infamous cases, which is in all of the cases I'll talk about are in the book, the Defense never Rests. This one is the case of Albert de Salvo, better known as the Boston Strangler.

So it's the early sixties in Boston and a wave of fear is sweeping through the city. 13 women have been brutally murdered, all strangled. In their own homes, the police are stumped. The public is terrified. And the press, while they're having a field day [00:06:00] enter Albert de Salvo, A man who confesses to being the Boston Strangler.

But here's the twist, he wasn't tried for the murders. Instead, he was convicted of unrelated sexual assaults, and it was Bailey who defended him. Bailey believed de Salvos confession was coerced and that the real Boston Strangler might still be out there. A lot of people, uh, do agree with that. He argued that DeSalvo, a man with a troubled past had been pressured into confessing to crimes he didn't commit, but.

De Salvos fate was sealed when in 1973 he was murdered in prison, stabbed to death by a fellow inmate. He was 42 years old. The case remains one of the most controversial in American history was [00:07:00] to salvos truly the Boston Strangler or we. Is he a convenient scapegoat? It's a question that haunts true crime enthusiast to this day.

Next. Let's talk about a case so dramatic. It inspired a hit TV show and a Blockbuster movie. Yeah. I'm talking about the Sam Shepherd case, the real life story behind the Fugitive. Back in 1954, Dr. Sam Shepherd was a successful physician, physician with a picture perfect life. That is until the night his wife, Marilyn, was frowned.

Found brutally murdered in their home. The media went wild. The public was outraged, and shepherd quickly found himself on trial for her murder. The trial was a circus. The press played a huge [00:08:00] role in turning public opinion against him. The judge had the press into his chambers, a lot of impropriety in this trial, but he was convicted and he spent nearly a decade in prison, but then in a twist worthy of Hollywood.

F Lee Bailey marches in and takes on his case. Bailey argued that the media frenzy had deprived shepherd of a fair trial and that the prosecution's case was full of holes. As I said, there were, there was a lot of funny business in that first trial, so in 66 the conviction was overturned and shepherded.

Was acquitted in a retrial. Sadly, his story didn't have a happy ending. He struggled with alcoholism and personal demons until [00:09:00] his death in 1970 from liver failure. He was just 46 years old. The Sam Shepherd case is a stark reminder of how powerful the media can be in shaping justice and how one determined lawyer can make all the difference.

Finally, let's turn our attention to one of the other cases in the book that of Carl Coppolino. A story that's just about as twisted as it is. Fascinating. So Coppolino was a physician with the talent for creating some deadly solutions. He was accused of murdering his wife Carmen, and the husband of his lover by using lethal injections.

It sounds like the plot of a crime novel, but this was absolutely real. Bailey d defended Coppolino, and not one, [00:10:00] but two murder trials. The first was for the neighbor's husband where he was acquitted, but the second for the murder of his wife didn't go as well. Coppolino was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

However, he was paroled after serving 12 years and spent the rest of his wife his. And spent the rest of his life outside of the public eye. Coppolino died in 2022 at the age of 88, but his case remains a chilling reminder of how easily a trusted professional can turn into a coldblooded killer, and how the intersection of medicine and law can create a legal labyrinth.

Many of you may know f Lee [00:11:00] Bailey. Uh, just from him being a member of the dream team, that's the group of lawyers who represented OJ Simpson in his murder trial, and that was a tough moment for me, having Bailey be such a hero to me, and then representing someone that I just found so reprehensible, however.

It's completely consistent with Bailey's values. Yeah, he got a hefty paycheck and guess what? He always, found a way to get paid, that was, uh, important to him, I, I think, but Simpson was privileged. He had money, but he needed lawyers to defend him. And Bailey signed on. [00:12:00] So whatever you think about him being on the dream team, just remember he was a defense lawyer first, last, and always I try to remember that I.

As for f Lee Bailey, like any superstar, Bailey had his highs and his lows. He won some stunning victories, but he also faced his share of controversies, including a disbarment that nearly ended his career still to the very end. F Lee Bailey remained a figure larger than life in June, 2021. At the age of 87 f Lee Bailey passed away in Atlanta, Georgia, and though he's gone, his legend continues to influence the world of criminal law.

I suspect it always will. [00:13:00] Okay, well, there you have it. The life and work of f Lee Bailey, a man who was just as much a showman as he was a lawyer. And three of his most infamous cases. It each one a story of twists, turns, and the constant struggle between justice and the unknown. As we close this first episode of Crime Girl, I wanna remind you, in the world of crime, things are.

Rarely black and white. The cases we've discussed today remind us that behind every headline, every sensational story, there's a deeper truth waiting to be uncovered, and that every accused person deserves a defense next time. We'll be diving into another case that captivated the nation. Come back or visit our [00:14:00] Facebook group to find out which one the link, as well as my contact information, as well as links to reference materials about this episode are in the show notes.

Until next time, this is Crime Girl signing off. Case closed for now. See you next time.

00:00 Introduction to Crime Girl Podcast

00:45 Fascination with Crime Stories

00:58 Spotlight on F. Lee Bailey

02:10 Bailey's Early Influence

05:29 The Boston Strangler Case

07:13 The Sam Shepherd Case

09:20 The Carl Coppolino Case

10:56 Bailey and the O.J. Simpson Trial

12:17 Legacy of F. Lee Bailey

13:01 Conclusion and Next Episode Teaser