Two Suicides and a Murder

We really don’t like writing about murders, suicides, and murder suicides here on Above the Law. They are always sad, the loss of human life is always tragic, and it’s really hard to be funny/snarky/edgy when people have died.

That said, we have to go where the news takes us, and so we press on today with a roundup of people in the legal community who recently met untimely ends. A Department of Justice lawyer took his own life, and an office manager for Townsend and Townsend and Crew allegedly killed her estranged husband, before turning the gun on herself…

The BLT reports that DOJ lawyer Nicholas Marsh had played a significant role in the investigation of former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska):

Nicholas Marsh, who was transferred from the Public Integrity Section amid a criminal investigation of the government’s handling of the case against Stevens, killed himself over the weekend. Marsh had been working in the Office of International Affairs. NPR first reported the suicide this morning.

Attorney Robert Luskin, a partner at Patton Boggs, represented Marsh during the government’s investigation. He suggests that the stress of that investigation may have played a role in Marsh’s suicide:

Luskin called Marsh’s death a tragedy, saying that he was confident Marsh would have been exonerated at the conclusion of the investigation. “The whole process imposed an unbelievable burden on Nick,” Luskin said.

Sponsored

The death of Townsend’s Gayle Mozee-Baum does not have quite the political intrigue of Marsh’s suicide (although Mozee-Baum was actively involved in politics). Police believe that this was a domestic dispute that turned deadly. The San Jose Mercury News reports:

Gayle Mozee-Baum, 54, shot and killed her estranged husband, James “Jimmy” Baum, 61, around 11:15 p.m. then turned the gun on herself, the Sheriff’s Office reported…

Mozee-Baum, who oversaw a legal team of 200 for the international law firm Townsend & Townsend, won the Democrat of the Year award from the Santa Cruz County Democratic Party in 2009.

Thursday night, she went to Baum’s home to confront him. The couple was arguing outside when Mozee-Baum shot her husband before using the handgun on herself, according to Patrick.

We extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those lost.

Ed. note: If you must comment, please be restrained, respectful, and appropriate. This thread will be moderated, inappropriate comments will be removed, and inappropriate commenters may be banned from future commenting.

That said, reasonable people will disagree about what is inappropriate. Therefore, if you are a relative or friend of any of the deceased, we urge you NOT to read the comments on this post. The comments are hidden; please do not affirmatively click on them unless you are willing to interact with Above the Law commenters. Thank you.

Sponsored

Federal Prosecutor in Stevens Case Commits Suicide [The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times]
Prominent Westside couple identified in murder-suicide off Soquel Drive [San Jose Mercury News]