Dick DeGuerin

Dick DeGuerin (born February 16, 1941 in Austin, Texas) is an American criminal defense attorney based in Houston,[1][2] most notable for defending Tom DeLay, Allen Stanford, David Koresh and Robert Durst. In 1994, DeGuerin was named Outstanding Criminal Defense Lawyer of the Year by the State Bar of Texas Criminal Justice Section.[3]

Dick DeGuerin
Born (1941-02-16) February 16, 1941
Austin, Texas, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Texas, Austin (BA, JD)

Education

He earned a law degree in 1965 from the University of Texas at Austin and that same year, he was admitted to the State Bar.

Career

Early in his career (1971–1982), he was an associate with Percy Foreman. In 2005, he defended former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay in DeLay's defense against indictments for money laundering and conspiracy, brought by Texas prosecutor Ronnie Earle.[4]

DeGuerin, a Democrat, previously prevailed over Earle in a case involving misconduct charges against U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. DeLay was found guilty,[5] but the conviction was overturned on appeal.[6] He also represented bankers involved in fraud cases tied to the Enron collapse.

He represented Waco, Texas leader David Koresh during Koresh's standoff with the FBI and the ATF agents. DeGuerin used a self-defense argument, and won, when he represented New York real estate heir Robert Durst, who admitted to killing and then dismembering the body of Durst's 71-year-old neighbor Morris Black, bagging the body parts and tossing them into Galveston Bay.[7] DeGuerin once again represented Durst at his arraignment in New Orleans on March 16, 2015 for the murder of Susan Berman in 2000 (which arose out of the HBO miniseries special The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst).[8]

Other cases include participating in the Congressional impeachment hearing of U.S. District Court Judge Samuel B. Kent.[9] He represented Celeste Beard, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, David Mark Temple, convicted of killing his wife, who was 8 months pregnant, Allen Stanford, and Billy Joe Shaver.

In early June 2023, the Texas House committee investigating Texas attorney general Ken Paxton announced the hiring of DeGuerin and fellow high-profile attorney Rusty Hardin as impeachment prosecutors.[10][11]

He is an adjunct professor at The University of Texas School of Law, teaching criminal law.[12]

Personal life

DeGuerin is the older brother of attorney Mike DeGeurin, despite the different way they spell their last names.[13]

A 2008 Houston Chronicle article about the brothers mentioned that Dick DeGuerin is married to his third wife.[14]

References
  1. "Houston brothers shine in legal spotlight - Houston Chronicle". Chron.com. 2008-02-11. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  2. "The DeGuerin – DeGeurin brothers". Chron.com. February 11, 2008. Archived from the original on 2012-06-22. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  3. "DeGuerin, Dick". FindLaw.com. 2011-01-30. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  4. "DeLay's lawyer is a Democrat and court legend". Associated Press. 2005-10-20. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  5. Houston Chronicle, "DeLay files motion for retrial in money laundering case," February 9, 2011
  6. Tom DeLay verdict overturned by Texas appellate court Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine, KHOU; September 19, 2013.
  7. John Springer. "Prosecution forces Durst to admit his many lies". truTV. Archived from the original on 2003-10-30. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
  8. Keneally, Megan (March 16, 2015). "Robert Durst: A Timeline of His Life and Alleged Crimes". ABC News. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  9. "Accused judge enlists help of Dick DeGuerin". Houston Chronicle. December 12, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  10. "Texas House announces lawyers who will present case against AG Ken Paxton in Senate impeachment trial". khou.com. June 1, 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  11. "Houston-based attorneys to represent Texas House in AG Paxton's impeachment trial". kvue.com. June 1, 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  12. "UT Law - Faculty - Dick Deguerin". Utexas.edu. Archived from the original on May 31, 2010. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  13. https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-brothers-shine-in-legal-spotlight-1656519.php
  14. https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-brothers-shine-in-legal-spotlight-1656519.php
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