Prominent lawyer to defend BART ex-officer

Former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle, charged with murder in the fatal New Year’s Day shooting of an unarmed rider in Oakland, has hired a prominent defense attorney to represent him.

By hiring Michael Rains and his Pleasant Hill law firm, Mehserle turned to one of the best-known defenders of Bay Area police officers suspected of misconduct. Rains is frequently quoted as a legal expert by media outlets, including The Chronicle, and provided commentary on Mehserle’s case until he was hired.

Among those Rains has represented was one of three former Oakland police officers, known as the Riders, who were tried twice after being accused of crimes including fabricating evidence against suspects. Jurors acquitted the officers of some charges and deadlocked on others, resulting in mistrials.

Rains is also representing Barry Bonds in the former baseball slugger’s perjury case, in which federal prosecutors have accused the ex-Giants outfielder of lying to a grand jury about whether he knowingly used steroids. That trial is scheduled to begin in March.

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Posted by Alison Leslie on 25/01/2009. Filed under Police Brutality & Killings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.