Controversial lawyer who became famous for defending the“Boston strangler” and contributed to the acquittal of OJ Simpson, Francis Lee Bailey died Thursday, June 3, at the age of 87. He died in a geriatric facility in Georgia, in the southern United States, his family announced, without specifying the cause of death.
“I lost someone good. F. Lee Bailey, I will miss you ”, reacted OJ Simpson in a video posted on Twitter, believing that the deceased was “One of the greatest lawyers of our time”.
I lost a great one. F Lee Bailey you will be missed. https://t.co/6s8JI3OQVB
Careful preparation for trials
Francis Lee Bailey had greatly contributed to the acquittal of the sportsman, former glory of American football, tried in 1995 for the murder of his wife and a friend of the latter. He had proven in court that one of the police investigators had made racist remarks, accusing him in the process – without proof this time – of having himself placed a bloody glove at OJ Simpson’s home to have him accused. .
The lawyer, who had founded a private detective agency while in law school, was considered an expert in preparing for criminal trials, spending hours interviewing key witnesses, accumulating photos and documents, and examining scenes of crimes. This then allowed him to cook, without notes, the witnesses succeeding one another at the bar.
Other famous cases include the trial of Albert DeSalvo, “The Boston Strangler”, a serial killer held responsible for the murder of thirteen women. In 1971, he also acquitted Captain Ernest Medina, who commanded American troops during the massacre of 104 Vietnamese civilians in My Lai.
A stint in prison
Brother Lee Bailey was born on June 10, 1933 in Massachusetts, near Boston, to modest parents. Entering Harvard University on a scholarship, he dropped out two years later before joining the US Army, eventually becoming a fighter pilot. On his return to civilian life in 1956, he had returned to university to study law and had graduated from his class.
Author of best-selling books, Francis Lee Bailey was also a regular on television shows, where he advocated for his famous clients and even shot an advertisement for a major vodka brand.
He had also experienced legal setbacks himself, spending six weeks in prison in 1996 for contempt of court when he refused to return fees collected for defending a drug trafficker. He ended up putting his yacht – 22 meters long – up for sale to reimburse the sum.