Attorney describes Edmond Marine’s defense
Murder charges dropped in March
BY JAY F. MARKS
Published: November 21, 2008
Jack Zimmerman
A Houston defense attorney on Thursday exhorted peers in Oklahoma County to embrace their "special responsibility.”
Multimedia
More Info
OTHER CASE
Jack Zimmerman, who said he does not discuss pending cases, also represents "another young hero who is from Edmond,” Army 1{+s}{+t} Lt. Michael C. Behenna. Behenna is accused of premeditated murder in the May 16 shooting death of an Iraqi detainee. "We’re going to give him the same full-court defense,” Zimmerman said.
Jack Zimmerman said it is vital for attorneys to be willing to stand between the government and those overmatched individuals it tries to put in prison.
"When you’re dealing with liberty, and not money, you have a special responsibility,” he said.
Zimmerman on Thursday discussed one of his recent cases — involving a former
Edmond Marine accused of murdering civilians in
Iraq — at the annual meeting of the Oklahoma County Criminal
Defense Lawyers Association at the
Cox Convention Center.
He detailed his defense of
Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, one of several Marines who faced criminal charges after a Nov. 19, 2005, raid in
Haditha, a western Iraq village known as a hotbed of insurgence.
Zimmerman maintained Tatum only did what he was trained to do that day. The case ended in March when military prosecutors dropped all charges against Tatum, who has since left the
Marine Corps and is looking to go to college in January.
Tatum, who was at the meeting with his parents, drew a standing ovation from the crowd of more than 60 lawyers when Zimmerman introduced him as a "hero.”
News Photo Galleriesview all
Prev
