Man accused of assaulting lawyer is ecstatic over mistrial, says new lawyer, who was also attacked
A lawyer who continued to represent a defendant who attacked him during a trial for allegedly assaulting another lawyer says his client is ecstatic after a holdout juror caused a mistrial on Tuesday.
The defendant, 34-year-old Aaron Jabot, had testified he wasn’t trying to hurt his lawyer in the alleged April 2014 attack at the jail in Washington County, New York, the Post-Star reports. Jabot, who weighs 250 pounds, told jurors he could have hurt the lawyer if he wanted to.
Jabot’s new lawyer, Fred Rench, was himself attacked by Jabot in the Fort Edward, New York, courtroom last Thursday, outside the presence of jurors. “That’s all he’s got? 250 pounds, that’s it?” Rench said after the assault, according to past news coverage by the Post-Star. “I wish he’d given me a couple of more seconds.”
Rench didn’t seek charges against Jabot and continued to represent the defendant, who was handcuffed and restrained in a corner for the rest of the trial.
Rench told the Post-Star the holdout juror didn’t think Jabot tried to hurt the previous lawyer and was holding out for an acquittal. Prosecutors plan to retry Jabot.
