7 Times Lawyers Blew Up in Court During High-Profile Trials

reason I be without being. interrup by this m State as they. continue to try to hide the ball on this. case he indicated to you is that a crime. I'm I ask the questions here if you. think I'm here to play around with y'all. God all right Mr O'Neal please stop. using um swearing language it's not. appropriate in a closing argument. lawyers sometimes get quite heated in.

court so we're going to break down some. of the top outbursts by lawyers in the. trials that we have covered here at law. and crime welcome to sidebar presented. by law on crime I'm Jesse. Weber attorneys we are passionate at. times passionate about our clients our. arguments our reputation being heard and. that is always on full display in. courtrooms all the time across this. country sometimes these can lead to.

outbursts some good some bad now we're. going to talk about some attorney. outbursts in trials that we have covered. here on law on crime and there are quite. a few so we're going to start this off. in Delaware County Ohio back in August. of. 2022 a man named Matthew Moore was on. trial for the murder of his wife Emily. Noble now her body was discovered 4. months after she was reported missing in. the woods hanging from a tree by a USB. courp.

prosecutors alleged that Moore staged. the scene to look like she did this. herself defense Council argued that it. was possible that Noble you know had in. fact taken her own life well as that. back and forth was happening between. both sides on testimony and evidence the. trial was also notable for this Outburst. from the prosecutor you see Mark sleeper. and Melissa schiffel were acting as. prosecutors for the state and on the. seventh day of trial the judge Steven. wver wanted to move forward with the.

proceedings despite the fact that Miss. schiffl wasn't in the courtroom now. according to Mr sleeper the court was. knew about this the court the court was. informed two weeks earlier that chiel. would not be in attendance due to some. scheduling issue well Mr sleeper let the. judge know that he had a major problem. with these proceedings going forward. without Miss shffle there and it's not. only what he said but what he physically. did you I'm sorry I would object to.

going forward anyway right now without. the elected County prosecutor who's on. this case but she chose not to be here. that's not accurate judge okay okay your. objection is noted we had a phone status. conference two weeks ago in which miss. shiff your objection is. noted okay I'm I'm not going to. participate in this proceeding without. the elected County prosecutor I think. this is a shame that you're going. forward when the court was unilab you're. going to sit here you were told about. her unavailability and specifically told.

her on the phone not to cancel that. appointment that it wouldn't be a. problem I'll tell you what if you want. to be here for the decision that's your. business well your honor I think this is. outrageous you're going forward without. the. prosecutor you saw that right he. straight up left the courtroom left the. courtroom turned his back on the judge. walked out shocking Brazen right how. many often do you see a attorney doing.

that to a judge by the way an attorney. doing that and not getting penalized for. it you have to show the court a level of. respect even if you disagree with the. judge but no repercussions for Mr. sleeper as far as we saw now without. having had the opportunity to speak with. Mr sleeper who knows what really. happened here but I do know that this is. a case that wasn't the best for the. prosecution because the jury in the end. sided with the defense that's right. Matthew Moore was acquitted of the. murder of his wife Emily no.

and was free to go next up we have a. series of outbursts from an attorney and. it happened during cross-examination of. a defendant this was back in 2019 in. Ohio Claudia herig was on trial for the. murder of her Air Force Major husband. Carl herig prosecutor say she shot him. to death back in 2007 then fled to her. native country of Brazil until she was. finally extradited back to the United. States and during her trial she seemed. to suggest that this wasn't murder but. more a spontaneous act as a result of.

years of what she claimed was physical. and mental abuse at the hands of her. husband by the way we did a great um. Prime crime on this one I hope everybody. can check it out on our YouTube page. anyway prosecutor Christopher Becker was. questioning herck when she decided to. take the stand and he seemed to be. getting quite annoyed and quite loud. when it came to her's answers to his. questions and keep in mind he is trying. to prove his case that she. intentionally deliberately killed him so.

this is an outburst that I got to say I. love I love and in my opinion is. necessary take a listen before you shot. Carl herck you were upset that he had an. engagement party for you at put and Bay. correct I thought that was very weird. that was a sign that some yes or no I'm. not asking for an explanation before you. shot and shot him were you upset that he. trapped you or tricked you into marrying. him no I take blame for no okay before.

you shot him were you upset that you had. to pay for everything except for the. mortgage in the electric bill was a. little upset I mean but I wasn't before. no I'm only asking yes or no no you were. not no before you shot him were you. upset that his son moved in with you I. don't know I understand the question I'm. going to answer not what your not. understand the question we're getting to. the point you asking me questions and.

not argue with me please before you shot. him were you upset that he picked out. the clothes you. wore I didn't realize at the time that. yes or no all I want to know is yes or. no these are simple questions I didn't. like that very much Carl Herod cannot. come in here and explain any of these. situations that you testified to correct. yes he can through the voice of no he. can't he can get on this Witness.

don't testify Mr go ahead well can Carl. Harry come in this courtroom and testify. no okay thank you you had already talked. about getting a job back in New York. with your old accounting firm correct. yes and that would be with um I believe. Mr Andy Wilder yes he was one of my. auctions right and he was also another. boyfriend you had correct never never. would you like to see this the uh yeah. there were some emails between you. correct yeah there were yeah yeah some.

kind of leading on like you men and. women they can flirt but I never had. anything with him and I have no reason. to hide that so he he he indicated to. you is that a crime I'm I asked the. questions here oh I'm sorry before you. shot him before you shot him before you. shot him really keeping that image in. the minds of the jury about what she did. and clearly getting annoyed at her. seemingly trying to dodge the questions. and then listen to this you shot and.

killed Carl Herod by putting not one not. two but three shots into his b correct. yes all right you walked one 2 3 4 5 6 7. 8 n 10 steps down to where his body was. and you put the gun 12 to 24 in from his. head and pulled the trigger correct. probably.

probably well did somebody else break. into the house and shoot him too an. outburst loud emphatic I don't know what. we want to call it but I will tell you. what it all was effective very very. effective in the end Claudia herig did. not convince the jury that she was. innocent no she was convicted and. sentenced to life in prison but with the. possibility of parole after 28 years hey. everybody so I want to thank Morgan and. Morgan for sponsoring this episode of. side always love talking about them now.

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now we're better to talk about attorney. Outburst than with the young thug trial. out in Atlanta Georgia we focused upon. that here on sidebar before rapper Young. Thug whose real name is Jeffrey Lamar. Williams was indicted on what is. essentially a laundry list of charges. that accuse him of leading a criminal. organization known as YSL or young slime. life main underlying charge is. conspiracy to violate the state's RICO. statute racketeering basically a. criminal Enterprise conspiracy meaning.

that there was an agreement to break the. law and there were overt Acts or steps. taken in furtherance of that overt acts. don't have to be crimes they just have. to be certain actions that were taken. the idea is that Williams and others had. an agreement to participate in gang. activities and there were 191 overt acts. taken in furtherance of the YSL gang. defense suggesting that YSL is merely a. record label that there is no gang here. and maybe that whatever alleged crimes. were committ.

they weren't done in furtherance of this. Grand criminal Enterprise but were more. specific individual actions that's my. take on the defense now at the time of. this recording uh this trial is still. ongoing jury selection took what almost. a year we saw plea deals cases being. severed or separated and all of the. changes and developments have caused a. lot of friction between judge uro. Glenville and the attorneys and this all. led to some attorney outbursts but also. I'll tell you what outbursts from the. Jud to if we're playing balls and.

Strikes here let's call it like this. exchange between Young Thug's attorney. Brian steel and judge Euro Glenville. over an interview regarding an alleged. getaway driver named Adrien bean and. what questions Mr steel can ask says he. lied about who he's talking about the. car this but we still don't know whether. or not he had a conversation with. Detective Lewis and I made it clear it's. it's 10 years ago but you said you had. in your conversation with detect the ls.

that's what you profer I said or any. other detective or law enforcement read. the transcript I made it clear I don't. know he doesn't remember names he says. it was detective Quinn also on the. recording on Jan Sunday January 22 2023. Mr Bean is the one who said this. happened in the hospital your honor I'm. the one complaining about I don't have. the statement 6 days later detective. Quinn and Adrian Bean are on recording.

where Adrien Bean tells detective Quinn. I lied about what I lied about what who. was driving the car he gets cut off. detective Quinn says yeah tell me about. it where's that statement that's what. I've been asking for it doesn't work. that way Mr steel I'm sorry it does work. that way no it does not yes it does no. it doesn't and you haven't presented any. case law to tell me how to do that and. I'm telling you as as as the judge. presiding over this case if you do that.

it's. misconduct I'm not doing anything I'm. telling you right now I don't know what. you're telling me I'm not I am telling. you you have no good faith basis at this. point in time to ask that question at. right now or to intimate that I didn't. ask any question you are listening to Mr. deter. love I'm ready to cross exam it I'm. going to play the recording you just. heard this gentleman tells me I'm. recording.

that he was at the hospital speaking. with law enforcement I want that it is. backed up because on recording six days. after the crash into that side of the. building your honor detective Quinn and. Mr Bean are talking about this statement. that Mr be made prior I don't have it. and when the court asked me well you got. to find it or if I find it it wasn't. given over then then then we'll have. some problems then then we'll have some. issues I I have some issues now or how. about this back and forth between judge.

Glenville and defense attorney Max shart. who represents defendant Shannon. Stillwell because this issue concerns a. motion and eliminate that's when you're. asking the court to exclude something. from coming into evidence during trial. and here it's all about whether he could. have filed This months ago you see judge. Glenville is never too happy about. anything that delays the trial that's. what it means to be prepared as an. advocate okay the state's given you this. okay you knew about these. the state you knew about this issue.

right perhaps the state knowing that. it's an issue would not want to admit. evidence of an individual being a. prosecutor and a defense attorney at the. same time perhaps it's not on me perhaps. the state should not be it's on it's on. you and it's on them it's on it's on. it's on me that's what I'm telling you. in terms of just having to stall the. proceedings so I can go ahead and take.

this out I'm not trying to stall. anything you're no no no no no and I. don't mean and I don't mean you listen. listen I don't mean you like like just. filing this to stall it okay okay all. right but the state has but you filed it. but you but my Ang with you I don't have. any Ang with you filing the motion I. don't I'm just I'm just I'm just annoyed. that you didn't file it in 2023 the. state has been fully aware that their. colleague who was a gang prosecutor was. serving as defense attorney on this case.

and I understand why it's my job to flag. that issue but I have flagged the issue. okay and so if I'm going to take now you. flag the issue now in 20 and on the N. the 10th of April of. 2024 have a seat sir then there was this. motion to suppress evidence so Doug. Weinstein who's representing Damonte. Kendrick also known as yakti Weinstein. wanted to suppress a 2015 police. interrogation video of Kendrick because.

he claimed that the investigators. violated his client's rights by asking. him more questions after he asked for a. lawyer so the judge judge Glenville. watched the police interview outside the. presence of the jury and was wrestling. with this issue and that is when there. was this interaction between prosecutor. Adrien love and defense counsel and it. was so bad even the BFF had to get. involved where it specifically says that. a lawyer a suspect who ask for a lawyer. at any time during a custodial inter.

interrogation may not be subjected to. further questioning as the court has. said by law enforcement until an. attorney has been made available or. until the suspect reinitiates the. conversation they your honor at some. point Sorry I'm talking I don't know why. I am being interrupted I will not. stop I was speaking M love y got I'm. sorry I was both y'all can't talk at the. same time I know I was speaking. allow to speak when I'm speaking hey.

both of you all need to just take it. down a notch and so your honor if I may. finish because I was the one speaking. before Mr Weinstein inter but but you. have you have you continually engage in. this pattern of behavior misl you don't. want to accept my ruling judge was. adamant about it serious issue suspect. asking to speak to counsel questioning. stops back and forth over what happens. and if he initiated the conversation but. the judge was not persuaded felt that. law enforcement improperly softened him. up and properly got him to say things.

not good okay this next one I have to. put in quotes attorney Outburst the. reason I'm doing that is because this. isn't a lawyer no it's a defendant who. tried to act as his own lawyer he. represented himself I'm talking about. Ronnie O'Neal Who was on trial for. murdering his girlfriend kinat Baron and. their 9-year-old special needs daughter. Rivia and he was also accused of. stabbing his 8-year-old son Ronnie. O'Neal IV oh and then setting the house.

on fire horrific horrific that's what. we're dealing with here the little boy. by the way miraculously survived this. whole ordeal and one of the. investigators in the case actually ended. up adopting him so O'Neal goes to trial. in 2021 he decides to represent himself. and talking about outbursts he just. can't seem to stop yelling and screaming. when making his points the evidence is. going to show.

that we are. under some of the. most. [Music]. bites fabricating.

fictitious government you ever. seen the evidence is going to. show my son did not see me murder his. mom the evidence is going to. show he did not see me shoot his. mom the evidence is going to. show my son said many things that are. not true if you think I'm here to play.

around with yall got all right Mr O'Neal. please stop using um swearing language. it's not appropriate in a closing. argument so loud so loud you know being. the loudest person in the room screaming. your point doesn't always make it so. true felt almost like he watched maybe. too many legal dramas thought that was. the way an attorney is supposed to act. and while he may have claimed that. police fabricated evidence manipulated. 91 phone calls he was found guilty on.

two counts of first-degree murder one. count of attempted first-degree murder. two counts of aggravated child abuse one. count of arson and one count of. resisting a law enforcement officer and. just two days later O'Neal was sentenced. and that is when judge Cisco let O'Neal. know what she thought of him and his. actions 19 years I've been at this job. I've seen human beings killed at the. hands of others in every way imaginable. you name it I've seen it she shooting. stabbings drownings suffocating blown.

apart by uh cars and DUI manslaughter. cases horrible things this is the worst. case I have ever seen as far as the. facts go O'Neal was sentenced the three. life sentences Plus 90 years in prison. he's currently housed at Liberty. correctional institute in Florida now. let's talk about Alex Jones haven't. talked about him in a while the Alex. Jones civil trials we remember these. this was when the infowar founder and. host was sued by the families of those.

who lost loved ones in the Sandy Hook. Elementary School shooting as well as a. former FBI agent for comments he made. regarding the massacre namely that it. was stag that it was fake that it was a. ho hoax that the parents were crisis. actors you know just insane stuff to say. so they sued him under various legal. theories such as defamation and. intentional infliction of emotional. distress and Alex Jones actually had. default judgments entered against him. meaning the court Auto a atically ruled. against him he lost and this was because.

he failed to abide by court order. Discovery obligations so the question of. liability was already decided these. trials that we covered here on Law and. crime and sidebar they were purely about. how much he would owe the plaintiffs in. Damages how much would he have to pay up. that's what the juries had to decide and. there were two cases one in Texas and. one in Connecticut how much would he. have to pay up now for this particular. instance of an attorney Outburst one in. which I will tell you I have never seen. seen before in court it concerns Jones.

attorney and Dino Ral and Mark Bankston. who represented the plaintiffs out in. Texas and this happened after court was. adjourned for the day luckily the judge. was not in court to see this and the. jurors did not see it but the cameras. were there the cameras picked this up. and it came after a discussion with the. judge over playing certain videos of. Jones let's see what happened will you. talk to me and you know will you talk to. me will you talk to me who you talk to. me said not always you said to me are.

all your videos I said this is a summary. exhib and we're agreeing hey guys hey. guys maybe now's not the time maybe we. can cool off have a phone call. later anything you're going to say no no. I'm just that way you can tell him and. then we not going to have a fight and it. will be easy Mark do you have his phone. number I don't have a we're having a. fight right now write your phone number. down so we can get it and we'll call you. after everybody cools down a little bit. on both sides.

exactly which is why I tried to get you. no you can give me your phone number. federo I don't want to talk to you. anymore right now give me your phone. number it down and give you I'll text it. to you you have my phone number I'll. email yeah again can't say I've seen. that too many times an attorney flipping. off another attorney in court not great. not great and what happened in the end. was more bad news for Alex Jones because. he was ordered to pay almost $50 million.

in that trial and almost a billion. dollars plus $473 million in punitive. damages in the Connecticut trial just. massive verdicts let's talk about Alec. Murdoch the disgraced South Carolina. lawyer who went on trial in 2023 for the. 2021 murders of his wife Maggie and Son. Paul they were gunned down on the family. property it was a really interesting. case very high-profile everybody was. following it uh it was interesting. because there were no I witnesses there. was no murder weapon the forensics were.

arguably not entirely helpful what was. helpful was The prosecution's Smoking. Gun a key piece of evidence a recording. taken off of Paul's phone minutes before. the shootings happened where you can. hear Murdoch's voice at the dog kennels. of the property that's where Maggie and. Paul were killed the crime scene this. after Murdoch had denied for so long. including to police that he was there. quit cash come here. quit come here.

come here. Cas shit come po it okay hey he's got a. bird in his mouth. Bubba hey. Bubba that's a guinea there a. chicken come here come here cash come. here cash. quit yeah that basically put him at the. scene and the prosecution argued that. the motive here was that Alec Murdoch. was stealing from his clients in his Law.

Firm that he was facing a civil lawsuit. in regards to a girl who was killed in a. boat accident allegedly caused by his. son Paul a couple years back as part of. that civil lawsuit he would have had to. disclose his finances he was about to be. exposed for his financial misdeeds and. the prosecution argued that as a way to. buy himself more time to keep himself. from getting caught to gain sympathy to. distract away from these Financial. issues he killed his family now before. the trial there was a hearing and this. was back in 2022 and there was a bit of.

a heated moment between the attorneys. Murdoch attorney dick harput and and. prosecutor kraton Waters it centered. around what this hearing was even about. was it the state's motion for a. protective order you know to keep. certain information from being made. public or how it shared with the other. side that's what it seemed the state. wanted to talk about defense said no. this is about a motion to compel compel. you're saying that's when you're saying. the other side didn't hand over evidence. that you need in the case so you have. this back and forth about what what's. the true purpose of this hearing what do.

they need to address what's the other. side doing take a listen to this. Outburst you're here for the state's. motion. for Honor we're not here for that we're. here for the defense motion to compel. and I object to the state try to high. this proceeding by taking over and. saying this is for their motion to we. made a motion toel we they. motion motion. for motion Court your honor we have a.

motion to compel file on it and then if. they want respond your honor to hear. that we this motion weeks after they. failed to comply with Rule and and just. ignore. that this court criminal J you know the. reasons done if I could be heard without. being interrupted and and hijack by this. the state as they continue to try to.

hide the ball on this case I'm sorry if. I appear upset but I can tell you that. every time we turn around they're trying. to hide something little tense there. right well this case did go to trial. Alec Murdoch was convicted of the murder. sentenced to life in prison without. parole and then aside from the life in. prison he was sentenced in a separate. case to an additional 40 years in prison. for his financial crimes all right let's. end our disc discussion about attorney. Outburst with this one this time we're.

in California and it is the trial of. Robert Durst in 20121 the real estate. Heir went on trial for the murder of his. friend Susan Burman who was found shot. to death in her home back in 2000. prosecutors alleged that Robert Durst. killed Burman so she wouldn't speak with. police about what she perhaps knew. regarding The Disappearance of dur first. wife Kathy Durst who went missing back. in the 1980s not to mention that at one. point in durst's life he shot killed his. neighbor Morris black when he lived out.

in Texas he actually went on trial back. in the day for that murder uh but was. acquitted of murder argued he'd acted in. self-defense dur pled guilty to. tampering with evidence for chopping up. the body yeah so stay with me there. because my gosh what a saga that was but. now we have the trial for Robert dur for. the murder of Susan bman and there was. this very heated exchange between. defense attorney dick dearin and. prosecutor John Leen happened outside. the president of of the jury and it. seemed to concern whether the defense.

was using a piece of evidence for. improper reasons let's listen hold. on hold. please. Lou look this isn't some late arrived. Theory we've known from the beginning. that Eddie Lopez saw Kathy dur on. February the 1st they say they offer to. uh stipulate to that no they offered to. stipulate to anything that was otherwise.

admissible this is a it was clearly a he. sa statement so we couldn't stipulate. that. so that's not a lot it's. a be. SE no be seated sit down sit down no. speaking no King sit.

down yeah the judge had to calm. everybody down Sit everybody down wow in. the end the jury convicted Robert Durst. of the murder of Susan Burman and Robert. Durst died in prison shortly. after yeah some wild outbursts huh I'm. sure this is not the last that we will. see and we will make sure to cover them. here on sidebar that's all we have for. you here on the show everybody thank you. so much for joining us as always please. subscribe on Apple podcast Spotify. YouTube wherever you get your podcast.

I'm Jesse Weber speak to you next time. [Music].