More on Johnnie
There is a great wikipedia about Johnnie Cochran, Jr. that reminds us that he was a true Los Angeles Icon. He attended UCLA and LMU (where he got his law degree), was a criminal prosecutor twice in his career (for a total of 7 years), and made his name initially by effectively pursuing justice in police brutality cases. The nineties found him in the middle of just about every major Los Angeles trial. He represented Reginald Denny (who was beaten during the LA Riots); in his crowning achievement, he got Geronimo Pratt freed from prison after 27 years; he represented Michael Jackson in the first child molestation case; and, of course, his work in the OJ Simpson trial. His only son is a California Highway Patrol officer. He died of an inoperable brain tumor in his home in Los Feliz, yesterday.
LA-based Bloggers weigh in with takes ranging from the humorous to the insensitive to the respectful. Mr. Cochran would probably have appreciated them all.