Denied new counsel, defendant uses profanity, but judge doesn't take it personally
Denied new counsel by a Pennsylvania judge, defendant Jeffrey Knoble Jr. used an unprintable word at the conclusion of a Friday hearing.
“Go [expletive] yourself,” he called towards Judge Emil Giordano, as he was being taken from the Easton courtroom, reports the Allentown Morning Call. The newspaper did not report the precise profanity Knoble used. Knoble, who is charged with first-degree murder in the Northampton County case, was in a wheelchair for restraint purposes.
However, Giordano took the insult in stride. Although he did ask a prosecutor in the courtroom to determine whether more criminal charges should be filed due to Knoble’s behavior, the judge suggested, with a smile, that Knoble might have intended to direct the comment to someone else in the courtroom.
Earlier, Giordano sought to determine whether Knoble wanted to keep his current counsel, a three-lawyer team headed by Chief Public Defender Robert Eyer; represent himself at trial, where he could face a capital sentence, if convicted; or hire his own defense attorney. But Knoble, who claims to have fired the public defender team, insisted he wanted new court-appointed lawyers, the newspaper reports.
“We have given you esteemed, respected counsel,” the judge told him, adding: “They’re some of the most respected attorneys in the county.”
“I’m telling you that you’re wrong,” Knoble said.
“And I’m telling you that you’re wrong,” Giordano said.
Knoble was charged in the slaying last year of Andrew “Beep” White, 32, after his mother called police and said he had showed her a cellphone photo of a dead body. White was described by authorities as a Good Samaritan who paid for a hotel room for Knoble when he had no place to stay, the Morning Call says.
Knoble’s legal team has said a mental-health defense is anticipated.
