By Seamus McGraw
(Continued)
Not only does the order prevent further disclosures from the prosecution that could inflame a potential jury pool against Underwood, says Boyle, who has defended, among others, convicted serial killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer, it also shields the defense from having to answer potentially dangerous questions from a media often obsessed with salacious details and oblivious to the fine points of law.
"Gag orders are to prevent the lawyers from saying things, or having to say things in response to questions, many of which make no sense," Boyle said. "The other positive is that it keeps the thing contained in the place where it's supposed to be, and that's in the court."
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Gerald Boyle |
Boyle declined to speculate on how the defense might proceed in the face of the highly publicized and deeply disturbing charges against Underwood. That, he said, would be determined by details that have yet to emerge about both Underwood and the alleged crime.
But he said that despite the heinous nature of the allegations and the potentially inflammatory details about the case that have emerged so far, he believes Underwood can get a fair trial. "I don' think there will every be a time when a jury will be so prejudiced that they won't do what they ought to do, regardless of how bad it is."
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