Famed Houston lawyer Richard 'Racehorse' Haynes dies at 90

[TexasTowelie]

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston lawyer Richard "Racehorse" Haynes, famed for his flamboyant but successful trial defenses of millionaire and billionaire clients in some of Texas' most notorious murder cases, has died at age 90.

Haynes died early Friday at his home surrounded by family in the East Texas town of Trinity after years of declining health, said family spokesman Chris Tritico, a Houston criminal defense lawyer Haynes once mentored.

Initial fame came when Haynes defended wealthy Houston plastic surgeon John Hill at trial over the 1969 slaying of Hill's socialite wife, Joan Robinson Hill, whom investigators said died after eating an eclair secretly laced with E. coli bacteria.

The 1971 trial ended in a hung jury — but Hill was gunned down in the driveway of his mansion before he could be retried. The case was the subject of Thomas Thompson's best-selling book "Blood and Money," which later was made into the 1981 film "Murder in Texas" starring Sam Elliott and Farrah Fawcett.

Read more: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/texas/article/Famed-Houston-lawyer-Richard-Racehorse-Haynes-11107354.php

[Susan Calvin]

1. It's good to have money if you're accused.... nt

[douglas9]

2. Remembering Richard "Racehorse" Haynes's Most Famous Cases

Now, we're taking a look back at the quick-witted lawyer who could and would do just about anything — whether that meant using a cattle prod on himself to show a jury that while it "hurts like hell, it’s not deadly,” threatening to put a nail through his hand to show that crucifixion wasn't actually that painful, or cross-examining an empty chair when the prosecution refused to produce a witness — in defense of his clients.

Haynes, born in San Antonio, got his nickname in junior high school over in Houston's Sunset Heights neighborhood either because he was the fastest runner in his class or because a football coach noticed that he seemed more interested in carrying the ball from sideline to sideline rather than advancing it on the field. But it seems like the moniker stuck because of, well, everything that came after.

He was definitely fast. Haynes served in World War II when he was still just a kid himself. In fact, he was only 17 years old when he helped storm a beach during the Battle of Iwo Jima. During the battle, he raced under enemy fire to save a Marine.

After the war, Haynes briefly considered becoming a doctor, but changed course after a week working in a hospital. Instead, he opted for the law, a profession where you could always appeal if you made a mistake. So he went to law school at the University of Houston and then went on to become one of the most skilled criminal defense attorneys ever seen in Texas.

http://www.houstonpress.com/news/remembering-criminal-defense-lawyer-richard-racehorse-haynes-a-look-at-his-most-famous-cases-9396306