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From: Kari
Date: 7/7/01
Time: 9:04:43 PM
— High-profile criminal attorney Barry Levin, who represented actor Robert Blake and worked on the murder case of Erik and Lyle Menendez, was found dead Saturday at Los Angeles National Cemetery, officials said. A police spokesman said the FBI had opened a suicide investigation CALLS TO THE FBI office in Los Angeles were unanswered. Advertisement
Levin, one of the best-known lawyers in Los Angeles, had defended numerous police officers. He recently represented “Baretta” TV star Robert Blake, whose wife’s recent murder is unsolved. Levin, a former police officer, was the lead defense attorney in a case stemming from alleged corruption in the Rampart police scandal. He represented Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Edward Ortiz, who was on trial with Sgt. Brian Liddy and Officer Michael Buchanan. The three were convicted in November of conspiracy and other charges involving framing alleged gang members, only to have a judge overturn the convictions later. Phone calls to the Los Angeles National Cemetery were unanswered, and a message left with the Veterans Affairs Department was not immediately returned. Levin was believed to be a decorated Vietnam veteran who, according to several sources, served as an Army paratrooper.