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Court Imposes Stringent Measures to Prevent Defendant From Stabbing His Fourth Lawyer With a Pencil
Back in November I learned about the alarming case about one Josh Monson via a post on Lowering the Bar that was aptly titled, "Man Who Stabbed His First Two Lawyers With a Pencil Stabs Another Lawyer With a Pencil." The LTB headline, which made me laugh when I read it in November and made me laugh again just now, pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the situation at that time. In case you crave more details, Monson is a defendant in one trial involving drug charges and another trial charging second-degree murder, and in the course of those trials he has stabbed three different lawyers with writing utensils.
As the pencil stab count has now reached three, the judge in the murder case understandably rolled out enhanced security measures for Monson's trial, which got under way Thursday. Happily, these measures appear to have succeeded -- so far. As The Herald confirmed today, "no lawyers were injured on Thursday as a murder trial got under way for an Everett man accused of stabbing three of his previous attorneys.
According to The Herald, here are the ways that the court is now trying to protect Monson's latest attorney from being stabbed with a pencil in the coming days and weeks:
- Monson is seated at a separate table, away from his attorney;
- Monson has one hand restrained;
- Monson is strapped to his chair and has restraints under his clothing; and
- Monson is wearing "an electric stun cuff that corrections officers can activate if he gets out of line."
I think I speak for all of us in the blawgosphere when I say that nobody wants to see a headline any time soon reading, "Man Who Stabbed His First Three Lawyers With a Pencil Stabs Another Lawyer With a Pencil." To everyone in that courtroom, I say please keep your head on a swivel!
Posted by Bruce Carton on April 27, 2012 at 04:17 PM | Permalink
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