Uncle Fred just can’t keep out of the headlines! His obituary ran in yesterday’s New York Times. The same story also ran in this morning’s News and Observer, on page 9B of the City and State section.
Also, here’s an Associated Press article about Fred. Check out the quip from him in bold below. Typical Fred!
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Published Tuesday, November 25, 2003
W. Fred Turner, attorney in landmark Gideon case, dies; he was 81
The Associated Press
PANAMA CITY, Fla. W. Fred Turner, the attorney who successfully defended Clarence Earl Gideon in a U.S. Supreme Court mandated retrial in 1963, has died. He was 81.
The case began at a pool hall in 1961 when a patron told police he saw Gideon, then 50, steal change and cases of beer, wine and Coke before leaving in a cab. Gideon repeatedly asked for a court-appointed attorney, but a judge denied his request.
After writing a petition that he should have had a lawyer to the Supreme Court, the justices ruled in Gideon v. Wainwright that criminal defendants are entitled to legal representation even if they cannot afford a lawyer. The case resulted in the creation of public defender systems across the nation.
Turner won an easy acquittal in the second trial because he could research evidence in a way that Gideon was unable to in jail. He asked jurors how Gideon could have made off with several drinks cases when the cab driver testified he had nothing with him.
“What if I had lost the Gideon case?” Turner said in May. “The Supreme Court would have to say, ‘We forgot to say competent counsel. That redneck from down in Panama City done messed up our argument.'”
During events marking the 40-year anniversary of the case this year, Turner – who said he tried 109 murder cases over his career – recognized how influential the Gideon case would be on his own legacy.
“When I die, they’ll probably put over my grave, ‘Here lies Gideon’s lawyer,'” he said.
Turner was born in Millville on April 17, 1922. He joined the military after high school, and was involved with the Flying Tigers during World War II. He rose to the rank of captain before leaving for the University of Florida. He graduated in 1948 and returned to Bay County to practice law.
Turner worked as a private attorney until 1979, when he was elected to circuit judge. At age 70, he retired from the bench in 1991.
Turner, whose wife Helen died in 1997, was found dead Monday inside his Kings Point home.
Funeral services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at Wilson Funeral Home.