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Feds to Retry Case Against Death Doctor
The American Lawyer
April 10, 2008
Prosecutors have announced that celebrity pathologist Cyril Wecht, whose seven-week Pittsburgh federal trial on 41 counts of mail and wire fraud ended with a hung jury Tuesday, will be retried.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Stallings -- who gave up a partnership at Hunton & Williams to become a federal prosecutor -- and James Wilson tried the case for the government.
Wecht is represented by an all-star legal team from K&L Gates headed by Pittsburgh partner Jerry McDevitt, who is famous for defending World Wrestling Entertainment and wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan in several high-profile federal cases. McDevitt also once counseled Clinton administration adviser Dick Morris. Former Pennsylvania governor and U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh, of counsel in the firm's Washington, D.C., office, and Pittsburgh partner Mark Rush round out the defense team.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quotes Thornburgh as saying he's been in contact with current U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey about weaknesses in the government's case.
Interestingly enough, the Post-Gazette reports the defense didn't call a single witness at trial. After two weeks of deliberations, the 11-person jury -- a 12th juror fell ill and was dismissed -- was deadlocked. The retrial is scheduled for May 27.
