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Three Decades Later, Son of Prominent Criminal Defense Lawyer Takes on His Father’s 1983 Murder Case

Laura C Morel, Tampa Bay Times Published: March 20th, 2017 Frank McDermott remembers the picture his father showed him when he was a teenager. It was a school photo of a thin boy in a collared shirt with dark, straight hair framing his pale face. The 15-year-old, David Michaud, had been charged with murder. McDermott's [...]

By |2018-02-26T12:44:40-05:00March 21st, 2017|Categories: Press Releases|

Above All Else, Joseph McDermott Was a Champion for Defendants’ Rights

By Andrew Meacham, St. Petersburg Times Published: January 27th, 2009 ST. PETE BEACH — Joe McDermott believed every defendant accused of a crime deserved his very best. For 47 years, that's exactly what he gave them. Known to colleagues as "the Cocky Buffalo" for his courtroom demeanor, he championed the rights of people accused of [...]

By |2018-02-26T12:46:02-05:00January 27th, 2009|Categories: Press Releases|

When Disabled Looks Like DUI

By Chris Tisch, Times staff writer In print: Friday, May 23, 2008 ST. PETERSBURG — Officer Michael Jockers thought the man in the Ford Explorer was under the influence of something. Michael Loui's eyes were bloodshot. His speech was slurred. He swayed on his feet. Loui told Jockers he had muscular dystrophy. Loui says the [...]

By |2018-02-26T12:49:06-05:00May 28th, 2008|Categories: Press Releases|

DUI Charge Against Man With Muscular Dystrophy Dropped

By Stephen Thompson, The Tampa Tribune Published: May 22, 2008 CLEARWATER -- Prosecutors have dropped a drunken driving charge against a man afflicted with muscular dystrophy after the man's urine test came back negative for any illegal substances. Michael Loui, 48, of St. Petersburg, was arrested by a St. Petersburg police officer on March 4. [...]

By |2018-02-26T12:49:53-05:00May 22nd, 2008|Categories: Press Releases|

Bush Reinstates Oldsmar City Council Member

Aaron Sharockman, St. Petersburg Times Published: Nov 27, 2003 Gov. Jeb Bush reinstated suspended council member Marcelo Caruso late Tuesday, less than a week after a jury cleared him on a pair of criminal charges. Caruso will take his seat with the council at its next regular meeting Tuesday night. "I was relieved more than [...]

By |2018-02-26T12:50:52-05:00November 27th, 2003|Categories: Press Releases|

An Identifiable Flaw

Ricardo Thomas, 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, spent 19 months in jail after a witness identified him as a carjacking suspect. But a bank robbery suspect later confessed to the crime and told Thomas' lawyer Frank McDermott, left, that Thomas is innocent. William R. Levesque, Times Staff Writer Published: April 24, 2002 LARGO — The [...]

By |2018-02-26T12:51:44-05:00April 24th, 2002|Categories: Press Releases|

Not One Fingerprint, No Hair, No Conviction

By William R. Levesque, St. Petersburg Times Published: May 22, 2008 LARGO — Rodney L. Corbitt looked on nervously as the six jurors filed out of the courtroom late Thursday to begin deliberating his fate. Accused of raping a tourist in a Largo hotel, he faced life in prison. Prosecutors were confident. Detectives said Corbitt [...]

By |2018-02-26T12:53:17-05:00January 13th, 2001|Categories: Press Releases|

Fraud Trial Ends With Guilty Plea

By William R. Levesque, St. Petersburg Times Published: July 13, 2000 A man who stole from the elderly pleads guilty after opening arguments. Terry Lee Statton listened impassively Wednesday morning as prosecutors told jurors how he stole nearly $1-million from more than 30 elderly victims from Brevard County to St. Petersburg. After prosecutors Glenn Martin [...]

By |2018-02-26T12:53:40-05:00July 13th, 2000|Categories: Press Releases|

Figure in Insurance Scam Avoids Prison

By William R. Levesque, St. Petersburg Times Published: May 20, 2000 A co-defendant in one of the largest insurance scams in recent Pinellas history raises restitution money and gets house arrest. Kevin J. Smith came to court Friday expecting he would be led away in shackles to spend the next 15 months in prison. Instead, [...]

By |2018-02-26T12:54:01-05:00May 20th, 2000|Categories: Press Releases|
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