"Can a lawyer admit the guilt of a client who claims to be innocent?" ROBERT MCCOY had a plan. Facing murder charges in the deaths of his estranged wife’s mother, stepfather and teenaged son in Louisiana, Mr McCoy claimed he was out of town in Houston, Texas when the three were slain. All the evidence of Mr McCoy’s guilt—a Walmart receipt for bullets; the murder weapon; a 911 call from one of the victims pleading with “Robert”; a white Kia getaway car—had been planted by vind

Can a Lawyer Go Against Their Client's Wishes? The Supreme Court Will Decide The Supreme Court is deliberating a case that could fundamentally reshape the relationship between an an attorney and their client. The case, McCoy v. Louisiana, looks at a decision made by Louisiana criminal defense attorney Larry English in 2010. English was representing Robert McCoy, who was charged with killing his mother-in-law, her husband and her 17-year-old grandson. He insisted he was innoce

Larry English left the Louisiana courtroom knowing that he had tried his last criminal case. His attempt to save his client’s life had failed. Over repeated objections from his client, Robert McCoy, who insisted on his innocence, Mr. English had told the jury that Mr. McCoy was “crazy” and had killed three people. The jury’s verdict was death. “I walked out of that courtroom saying I could never put myself through that again, emotionally,” READ MORE