Just when you thought it was safe to approach the defense table, comes this story from the New York Lawyer.  The defendant, Daniel Lynn Alford (*two points right off the top: first, I thought the middle name was used only in death penalty cases. Second, with a middle name like Lynn, what else could he be but a defendant?), was being sentenced in Knoxville, Tennessee, for possession of less than a gram of coke and about the same of crack.

His lawyer, James Bell, gave an impassioned plea for mercy before US District Judge Leon Jordon.  Then came Alford’s opportunity to seek mercy, which he spent castigating Bell for not fulfilling his expectations.  Judge Jordon, apparently unpersuaded by Alford’s plea, and noting his continuous involvement in the criminal justice system as a violent felon spanning 17 of his 31 years, whacked Alford upside the head with a 400 month sentence.

Alford then turned to his lawyer and punched him so hard that he went flying across the defense table.  The judge appeared confident that the criminal history points were appropriate in Alford’s case, and that no further fact-finding was warranted.

On the other hand, Alford still has a case of kidnapping, torture and murder to look forward to, where his co-defendants already pled to 25. 

Bell, though stunned by the punch, required no medical attention.  He did, however, have serious reservations about representing Mr. Alford at his upcoming trial.  Alford was heard muttering, “What?  No bail pending appeal,” as he was led from the courtroom.