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Citing the inability to pay for a private attorney and the lengthy delays that can occur when using a public defender, suspect Reginald Potts, Jr. has decided to represent himself in the murder trial of Nailah Franklin. Potts has been accused of murdering Frankin -- his ex-girlfriend -- and dumping her body in a Calumet City forest preserve. Potts has maintained his innocence since his arrest. He stated that this innocence is what gave him the confidence to be his own attorney, saying he "believed the truth would win out."
Understandably, Cook County Circuit Judge Thomas Gainer Jr. warned Potts of the folly of representing himself in a capital murder trial -- especially after he learned about why Potts thought he was qualified:
Potts has no legal experience but told the judge he has access to the Cook County Jail's law library one hour a week and has been studying up for his case. Gainer compared Potts' plan to defend himself to reading "Chess for Dummies" a couple of times before playing Garry Kasparov.
The trial will be scheduled to begin in approximately one month. Gainer is giving Potts that time to reconsider his decision and utilize a public defender, and "all [Potts has] to do is ask." [Trib]
Potts's picture from his MySpace page
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This reminds me of that SNL sketch with Tim Meddows where he represents himself in a court proceeding and asks the victim if she can point out the perpetrator. When she points at him he ducks, gets back up and says "so it was this man behind me who did this to you"
Yes, let this waste of space defend himself; hopefully he'll do a good enough job to put himself away for life.
Fortune Cookie Says:
-He who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client.
This guy has to be a classic narcissist.
The best movie scene of a person acting as his own defense lawyer?
That would be Woody Allen in "Take the Money and Run."
Allen's cross-examination is blistering even after the judge has him bound and gagged.
I suggest Reginald Potts take note.
YO peeps got to represent...themselves! peese
This reminds me of that SNL sketch with Tim Meddows where he represents himself in a court proceeding and asks the victim if she can point out the perpetrator. When she points at him he ducks, gets back up and says "so it was this man behind me who did this to you"
LOL.. I remember this. It was a skit about Colin Ferguson, the NYC train shooter who choser to represent himself for a time at his trial. At one point, Ferguson (Meadows) tells the judge "I object". The judge says, "Overruled", and Ferguson clenches his fists, starts jumping up and down and says "I win! I win!"
Colin Ferguson