A Murderer’s Pal? No, Just His Lawyer

Julian Bailey is at it again. One more time, he’s the courtroom heavy.

Bailey is the lawyer representing Edward Patrick Morgan, the weightlifter convicted this week in the horrid murder of Leonora Wong, a woman he met at an Orange nightclub. Murder was not enough for Morgan; he then mutilated his victim with a steel rod. A string of women testified at his penalty phase this week that they were earlier Morgan rape victims. This vermin is a living nightmare, yet there sits Bailey, chatting with him as if they were pals.

Which may be why I’m a Julian Bailey fan.

For nearly 10 years, my assignment at this newspaper was to cover Orange County criminal courts. I watched Bailey in dozens of cases that many lawyers wouldn’t touch. Rapists, child molesters, drive-by gang shooters, defendants who murdered for greed or gratification or revenge, or just out of stupidity. Bailey’s client list reads like something you’d call the exterminator about. I don’t think I ever saw him win one of these. I always thought it must be tough on a lawyer like Bailey, knowing week after week that your clients are such dregs there’s almost nothing you can do to help them.

On Wednesday, Bailey could be heard to say, “It was a tough day to be in court.” Not only did jurors hear from another Morgan victim, but from Wong’s family members. It left much of the courtroom in tears. It was a bad day to ask Bailey about his career choices. But he was surprisingly open about it.

It’s not the clients Bailey says he’s so enraptured with. It’s the judicial process.

“The system works best when both sides are well represented,” he explains. “Each defendant, no matter what he’s done, deserves the best representation possible.”

Bailey grew up cheering for the underdog. He was also raised to see some good in everybody, and finds worthwhile qualities in all his clients. And yes, though he declined to discuss the Morgan case, he quickly says that “I see a lot of good in Ed Morgan. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”

Bailey also takes issue with the suggestion that he loses all his cases.

“There are all kinds of ways to win,” Bailey says. Sometimes it’s making a jury see that a murder is second degree instead of first. (He’d tried that in the Morgan case but failed.) Sometimes it’s convincing a prosecutor that the two sides should come to terms on a plea before a trial starts. Bailey also notes that in many cases, which don’t draw media attention, he wins outright.

But a few years ago, after Bailey client Kenneth Clair was sentenced to death, Bailey asked that his name be taken off the panel of attorneys assigned by judges to homicide cases.

“Those kinds of cases are so exhausting, it just takes it out of you,” he explains. Also, the Clair case finished at a time when Bailey’s best friend was murdered. He needed a break.

He’s back now because these kinds of clients fit with Bailey’s philosophy about what it is a lawyer does.

“Maybe because I’ve had such a wonderful life, I can see the other side--clients who’ve never had any breaks, or had a poor home life or no chance for an education. These people weren’t born bad.”

Good days for lawyers like Bailey can come in various ways.

After Morgan’s conviction, Bailey started getting phone calls. Lawyers, judges, people who know the judicial system. People calling just to offer encouragement, to empathize that they know how tough Bailey’s role is in this case. That affirmation felt good to him.

Jurors return Monday to hear Bailey’s efforts to try to get them to spare Morgan’s life. My guess is Bailey doesn’t have a prayer. But then, he’s been there before.

Money Touch: You can’t blame the local chapter of the American Red Cross for getting excited about the AirTouch golf outing Sunday and Monday at Pelican Hill Golf Club along the Newport Coast. Last year’s event raised $200,000, the largest donation the chapter has ever received from a special event. Celebrity guests this year include Los Angeles Clipper guard Brent Barry, who won the NBA slam dunk contest during the All-Star break. Donate $10 or a pint of blood and you get a chance to try to out-drive Barry or some other celebrities.

Blossom Time: If you’d like to teach your children the meaning behind Cinco de Mayo, Blossom the Clown puts on a special holiday show at the Barnes & Noble bookstore on Barranca Parkway in Irvine on Sunday at 2 p.m. She’ll sing and dance and tell Latino stories.

Not as Hot: If you were counting on Tony Curtis appearing Monday night at the Edwards Cinemas near UC Irvine, sorry--he’s a last-minute cancellation. Curtis was supposed to talk about the making of “Some Like It Hot,” which is being shown there as part of UCI Extension’s series “Six Decades of Comedy.” But officials say they will have other experts to talk about the movie. Curtis had to run off to Italy to accept an award for his film work.

Friendly Suggestion Desk: One way to fight those gas prices: Increase your car-pooling. Southern California Rideshare says its calls have gone up about 8% since the gas increases. Its toll free line--(800) COMMUTE (266-6883)--gives you a variety of options for reducing gas use, including how to hook up with another car-pooler.

Mom’s a Gem: Michael Watson of Gallery of Diamonds in Costa Mesa is once again sponsoring a student essay contest for Mother’s Day: “Why Mom Deserves Diamonds.” He gives out quarter-carat diamonds to two winners, plus 30 sapphires and 700 African garnets to the honorable mentions. Watson’s problem has been reading all the entries--more than 4,500 this year from Orange County students.

Wrap-Up: Next up for Julian Bailey: He’ll defend 18-year-old Francisco Nieto, facing first-degree murder charges and a possible death penalty in a robbery. The defendant is right between the ages of two of Bailey’s three children. The teenager needs a good lawyer, someone who will care about him.

Jerry Hicks’ column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Readers may reach Hicks by calling the Times Orange County Edition at (714) 966-7823 or sending a fax to (714) 966-7711.