Will defend KSM if asked- ‘Don't Worry Murray' says

By Michael Horowitz

A leading defense attorney in New York City, whose base of operations is in the Bronx, said, this week that he is extremely pleased that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be brought to New York City to stand trial for his alleged leadership role in the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in September 2001.

Murray Richman, whose criminal-defense work is widely known among Bronx politicians and within the entertainment industry, said that he is confident that the U. S. Attorney for the Southern District will obtain convictions against Mohammed and four other defendants for their roles in terror attacks directed against U. S. citizens.

“There is plenty of evidence against the defendants even without the evidence the government collected by water boarding Sheik Mohammed,” Richman said. “That evidence, which amounted to torture, won’t even be introduced into the criminal proceedings in a civilian court. David Kelly, a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District under President Bush, supports trying the defendants in a civilian court in Manhattan, and I agree with him.”

The criminal-defense attorney added, “Even though some of the evidence that the government has collected will be inadmissible in a civilian court, it sounds as if there’s more than enough evidence to convict the defendants in the case.”

Richman stressed, “The terror attacks occurred at the World Trade Center, so it is only fitting and proper that Sheikh Mohammed and the co-defendants in this case should be tried in a civilian court in Manhattan.”

Richman noted, “The defendants never should have been held in a military prison in the first place. They are not military prisoners because they were not apprehended as soldiers in a war. The same way Manuel Noriega, the former president of Panama, was tried in a civilian court in the U. S., these defendants should be tried in a civilian court near the venue of their crimes.”

The attorney stressed, “We’re a nation of laws, not a nation of individuals. Following the law is at the heart of what this country is all about. Everyone, even the most disgusting and revolting person, is entitled to his or her day in court. The rules of law and evidence in a civilian court need to be applied to Sheikh Mohammed and the other co-defendants in the case.”

Asked if he would be willing to represent the defendants in the case involving the alleged terrorists, Richman replied, “Everyone is entitled to his or her day in court. I’m not seeking out this case, but I would represent if they approached me and they were willing to pay me. I don’t need this case to enhance my reputation, but I wouldn’t shy away from it either. I am deeply committed to the notion that all defendants, no matter how distasteful they may be, are entitled to representation.”