June 27, 2007

Day ends with Siegelman character witnesses

After Fuller handed down the sentencing guidelines, the rest of the afternoon was dedicated to Siegelman’s character witnesses.

First on the stand was Helen Vance, whose late husband, Judge Robert Vance, was killed in 1989 when a pipe bomb he received in the mail exploded at their home. When she was asked about Siegelman’s pending sentencing, she said, “Any political aspiration he might have are gone. He has been punished. He does not need to be rehabilitated.”

The testimony of attorney and longtime Siegelman friend Bobby Segall followed Vance. Segall denied the need for punishment, stating that Siegelman had lost “so much already,” including his honor, his law license, his profession and his ability to make a living. Segall also pointed out the toll the proceedings had taken on Siegelman’s family.

The final character witness of the day was Kenneth “Maze” Marshall, a paralyzed veteran who won several medals at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney. Emotion overwhelmed Marshall when he spoke of Siegelman’s kindness, of how Siegelman fed him, unawares, when he was hungry and on food stamps. Marshall is apparently a friend of Richard Scrushy’s also, and spoke briefly about his good deeds as well.

When the testimony of Marshall concluded, Judge Fuller recessed until Thursday, when it’s expected that the character witnesses for Scrushy will pick up.