Attorney Tells of Discord in Denny Case Defense

A former attorney for one of the defendants in the case of four men charged in the beating of trucker Reginald O. Denny testified Thursday that he followed instructions of the firm’s deputy director against his better judgment.

The Los Angeles Superior Court hearing was held to determine whether the Center for Constitutional Law and Justice hired by Damian Monroe Williams sabotaged the case.

“I didn’t feel any members of the center had the interests of Damian Williams in mind,” said defense attorney Dennis Palmieri.

The hearing stemmed from a series of recent events, including the arrest of Frederick George Celani, deputy director of the center, which defended Williams at his preliminary hearing, and tape-recorded statements made by Celani that he was hired by the federal government to sabotage Williams’ case.

In testimony before Judge John W. Ouderkirk, Palmieri, who worked for the now-defunct center, said he stuck with the case despite constant disagreements over Williams’ defense.

Williams’ current attorney, Edi M. O. Faal, contends that charges against Williams should be dismissed because he received ineffective counsel. Celani, known as Fred Sebastian while at the center, was recently arrested in Arkansas on wire fraud charges.

The motion is the latest chapter in legal wrangling over the case against Williams and two other men, Antoine Eugene Miller and Henry Keith Watson. All three are charged with attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, torture and robbery in the attack on Denny at the corner of Florence and Normandie avenues on April 29.

Palmieri, who was fired in August by the center, contended that he had been ordered not to pursue the case vigorously and was instructed by Celani to withdraw a motion filed to suppress potentially damaging statements made by Williams to police. “I told him it was inimical to the interests of the client,” Palmieri said, adding that Celani then threatened his job. “He made it quite obvious if I did not withdraw (the motion), I would be reassigned or . . . terminated.”

Palmieri testified that after Williams was arrested, Celani ordered the attorney to offer legal services for free. But Palmieri said Celani later described Williams as an “animal” and added, “Damian Williams was black, what does it matter?” Weeks before the preliminary hearing, Palmieri said, “I was ordered by Mr. Celani not to spend any more time on the case.”