Called for Jury Duty, Jailed Shooting Suspect Frets About New 'Legal Troubles,' Writes to Be Excused
Jailed on what he describes as “some very serious felony charges,” a suspect in the shooting deaths of four people at a Long Island, N.Y., pharmacy last month was worried that failing to respond to a summons for jury duty after his arrest could create more “legal troubles.”
So David Laffer wrote to state Commissioner of Jurors Michael O’Donohoe, explaining his situation and winning a six-month extension, reports the New York Post.
O’Donohoe tells the newspaper, which provides a link to a copy of the handwritten letter (PDF), that he’d never before received such a missive from an inmate facing such serious charges.
He also tells the Post he heard that Laffer wrote the letter based on advice from another prisoner, disbarred attorney and former Suffolk County lawmaker George Guldi, who is awaiting trial in two mortgage-fraud cases after his conviction in an insurance-fraud case.
“I don’t know why you would ask the person in the cell next to you for advice,” O’Donohoe said. “They’re in jail.”
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Disbarred Ex-Lawmaker’s Insurance Fraud Trial a Long, Strange Trip; 2 Mortgage Fraud Trials Await”
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