UPDATE (9:32 a.m.): An Orange County Sheriff’s department told WEEI Thursday morning that Meriweather is not currently part of any investigation: “Mr. Meriweather is not officially listed on any police report at this point. There is an ongoing investigation into that incident, but I can tell you he’s not listed at this point. We are having meetings on a number of issues this morning, but nothing as of this time.” Two weeks later and no mention of Meriweather in any police report? He’s looking better by the minute.
The official flagship station of the New England Patriots, 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, may have helped strengthen Brandon Meriweather’s case on Thursday morning. As you may already know, two men who were shot on February 27th at a house party in Florida have alleged Meriweather was the shooter. The lawyer representing them, John Morgan of the Morgan & Morgan personal injury firm in Florida, spoke with the Toucher and Rich Show on Thursday morning. To be frank, he made a complete fool of himself. You can hear the audio here. I highly recommend listening to the entire clip:
By all accounts, there is no police record of the incident. According to Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department had no record of the incident as of this morning. Morgan claims that the department would say there is an ongoing investigation if asked, but the report from the Herald directly contradicts that claim.
As the interview progressed and Morgan became increasingly frustrated, I couldn’t help but get the feeling the accusers have nothing to go on. How often do you hear an attorney come out and say “I have a lot of doubt (we have the right suspect),” when an investigation is ongoing? Rather than remain silent while the details unfold, Morgan has chosen to speak publicly about a case in which his only evidence is the word of two men who were shot.
Kudos to Rich Shertenlieb, who nailed this interview. He had Morgan completely backed into a corner, as evidenced by Morgan sarcastically saying “I’ll just close the case, you guys have convinced me.” Morgan went down the “I didn’t call you, you called me” road twice, but the important thing to remember is he called back. No one held a gun to his head (no pun intended).
At the moment, Morgan looks like a lawyer who is in way over his head and one who took this case for the publicity. He is the lawyer representing two victims of a shooting, yet he somehow seems to know as much about the case as we do. What’s the point of going public with something when you have no relevant details? Publicity.
