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Is Matthew's Defender Ready For His Closeup?

Neal Augenstein, WTOP

The lawyer representing Virginia's most embattled criminal suspect has a long track record, primarily on the prosecution side of the courtroom.

Is Jim Camblos the right lawyer for the man charged in the case of Hannah Graham, the 18-year-old University of Virginia student whose remains were publicly identified Friday afternoon?

Back in 2007, When seeking reelection as Albemarle County's top prosecutor, Jim Camblos posed with a coffee cup that read, "Reduce defense spending– plead guilty." Now, Camblos finds himself on the opposite side of the justice system, as he makes plans to defend Jesse L. Matthew Jr.??

"I've known several members of the family for a number of years. That's why they called me, because they have faith in me."??

Camblos is no stranger to controversial issues. Seven years ago, as the Albemarle Commonwealth's Attorney, he pursued charges against four teens accused of plotting a school attack, a case where journalists and even parents found themselves threatened with contempt for mentioning the matter.??

"Having to use him as a defense attorney I wouldn't want him because all the things that were effective for him were intimidation and scaring, scare tactics," says Howard Barnett, whose son challenged those charges and won a jury acquittal in 2006, the year before voters unseated Camblos after 16 years in office.??

Undeterred, Camblos, whose father was a Charlottesville prosecutor, went right back to prosecuting in the nearby city of Waynesboro. Earlier this year, in what he says he envisioned as "semi-retirement," he opened a one-man law practice across the square from his old office in the Albemarle courthouse.

A few days after signing up his high-profile client but before Matthew was arrested on a Texas beach, Camblos, standing outside that office, gave a very brief press briefing.??

"That's the only comment I'll make at this time." "Where is he?" "Will you stop this for a second? What didn't you understand about what I just said?"??
 

Credit Photo: Hawes Spencer
Legal Analyst Dave Heilberg

Charlottesville legal analyst David Heilberg, who won the case of the alleged school plot, contends that temper is no bar to sound legal representation. "Jim Camblos is a very experienced attorney who has done a lot of criminal work."??

Camblos contends that Matthew faces uphill battles due to extensive media coverage including speculation about whether charges could be filed in the five-years-ago death of Morgan Harrington.??

"The last time I checked you were innocent until proven guilty in the court of law, not in the court of public opinion."??

Charlottesville legal analyst Scott Goodman suggests that-- at least in Fairfax, where Matthew was recently indicted for rape and attempted murder in a 2005 case-- bad publicity may be the least of Matthew's worries.??

"The witnesses, the victim's description of what took place, those people that had contact with her that night, those people at the hospital that dealt with her and treated her as well as the forensic link. Surely, DNA evidence that links Mr. Matthew to that attack to the exclusion of anybody else. Not just that Mr. Matthew might have done it but that he's the only person on earth who could have done it. That's what DNA does, and so I'm sure that's the Commonwealth Attorney in Fairfax has. That's what makes that a very, very strong case."??

Camblos says that after first telling a Washington-area reporter he wouldn't handle the Fairfax case, he changed course after listening to a talk on faith.??
 

Credit Richmond FBI

"He shouldn't be bounced around from one attorney to another, which is why I have requested of the courts in Fairfax that I be appointed to represent him up there."??

Camblos says he met with Matthew at the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail earlier on Friday, the day that positive identification was made on Graham's remains. The lawyer says he wants the public to know that Matthew's family, the Carrs, are hard-working, devout, and saddened by the deaths of Morgan Harrington and Hannah Graham.??

"The Carrs wanted me especially to say that they will continue with their prayers for the Harringtons and Grahams throughout this entire ordeal as it unfolds."

 

 

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