And then There Were Three -- Co-Defendant in the Michael Vick Case Accepts Plea Deal

The proverbial noose is tightening around the neck of Michael Vick.  CNN reports that one of Vick’s co-defendants in the dog fighting case, Tony Taylor, pleaded guilty to federal charges this morning and agreed to cooperate fully with the prosecution of Vick and the remaining two defendants. The trial is scheduled to commence on November 26th. Taylor, along with the remaining three defendants, had all plead not guilty last week.  Now that Taylor has changed his tune, things look much worse for Vick.  Taylor is alleged to have located the property that ultimately become the headquarters of Bad Newz Kennels, and participated in the training and, in at least one instance, the execution of the dogs.  We can now add Taylor’s name to the growing list of evidentiary sources and witnesses against Vick and his co-defendants. Billy Martin, Vick’s lawyer, certainly has his work cut out for him.  Fortunately, he’s no stranger to celebrity cases, having represented a variety of professional athletes and entertainers, including basketball players Jayson Williams, Allen Iverson, Rod Strickland, and Juwan Howard, boxer Riddick Bowe, actor Wesley Snipes, as well as former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell, White House intern Monica Lewinsky, and the parents murdered government intern Chandra Levy.  He is also a former federal prosecutor, and intimately familiar with those aspects of law – particularly procedural ones – that distinguish federal from state cases. A few questions for discussion.  First, what do you make of Taylor’s change of heart? Should he have taken the plea and agreed to help the prosecution?  How does this fit with the whole “stop snitchin’” thing?  Lil’ Kim went to jail because she refused to snitch.  Should Taylor have followed her lead?  Or the other way around? Second, how do you interpret Vick’s hiring of Billy Martin, along with other prominent lawyers, to represent him?  My own view is that he is simply doing what any of us would do under the circumstances – secure the best legal counsel one can afford.  But the references to O.J. Simpson’s “Dream Team,” and the miraculous outcome it produced in his trial, are hard to ignore. SOURCE OF THIS STORY