Posted on 10/16/2005 6:06:30 AM PDT by I_saw_the_light
LAFAYETTE, Calif. - The wife of prominent defense attorney and TV legal analyst Daniel Horowitz was found slain in the couple's San Francisco area home, police said.
Horowitz called 911 Saturday evening to report that the body of his wife, 52-year-old Pamela Vitale, was in the entryway of their home in an upscale neighborhood, police said.
The woman's identity has not been confirmed by authorities, but "based on what we know, it's believed to be the wife of Daniel Horowitz," said Contra Costa Sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee.
Authorities would not release details of how the victim died, but said it was a homicide. They had no suspects.
"We're talking to several individuals," Lee said. "Nobody's in custody right now."
A call to the Horowitz' home from The Associated Press went unanswered late Saturday.
"I can't talk," Horowitz told the San Francisco Chronicle when reached on his cell phone Saturday. "I can't. It's beyond words."
Horowitz is a regular television legal commentator who appears frequently on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News and was a frequent commentator during the Laci Peterson murder trial.
Horowitz is currently defending Susan Polk, accused of murder in the 2002 stabbing death of her husband in the poolhouse of their Orinda home. The trial had been scheduled to continue next week.
Vitale, a former high-tech marketing executive, worked at her husband's law practice, creating and managing databases.
I'm so sorry for this person. Prayers up!
Mob hit.
Not to worry...Greta will cover this nonstop for the next 3 months.
Only if the body is missing.
The home where she died sits at the end of a mile-long driveway near the top of the hills between Lafayette and Walnut Creek in a neighborhood with large, private estates.
There are some beautiful homes in this part of Contra Costa County, many at the end of long , winding , private roads. Some folks will park on these roads and "party " ( drink and or do dope ) as they think that since they're out in a out of the way area, it's " safe " to do so.
I'm guessing she happened to have a chance encounter with some scumbags.
Step #1) Check to see if either he or his dead wife were contemplating divorce.Also,check to see if he had a girlfriend.
As is often said in the police biz when you're investigating a woman's murder..."before you look at the outlaws be sure to look at the in-laws".
"I can't talk," Horowitz told the San Francisco Chronicle when reached on his cell phone Saturday. "I can't. It's beyond words."
I'm so sick of seeing these lines in articles... why does the media insist on asking a grieving husband for a comment?
I sense a Dominick Dunne novel in the future.
The only way I could possibly be a defense lawyer is if I,like Perry Mason,was certain that each and every one of my clients were innocent.
The only way that the Johnnie Cochrane,for example,was able to look at himself in the mirror was that he,like at least several of his famous clients,had no conscience.
Perhaps it's because there's a distinct possibility that the husband was the killer.
That's quite a tautology there ;-)
"I wonder if defense attorneys are able to continue with their practice after something like this happens."
Not a biggie for them. Their living is DEFENDING murders. Maybe this is what it takes for them to WAKE UP and not defend them with a bunch of psycho babble lies and distortions.
The rule of thumb when a married woman is murdered is that the husband did it, or arranged for it.
We always hear about the ones that got away, but rarely the ones rightfully acquited because of the job of a good defense attorney.
I want a defense attorney to earn his pay. One day it could be any one of us proclaiming innocence with the world thinking we must be guilty of something.
Considering the alternative, I'd rather a few go free or a few beat the system.
Perhaps, but even in cases where there's no foul play involved, the media insists on trying to reach the family of the victim for comment, and then reports no answer to their home phone like we're supposed to be surprised.
I'm surprised Greta is not back in Aruba with all the "latest possible arrest" . Iwonder if this murder had anything to do with the case he is defending
"The only way I could possibly be a defense lawyer is if I,like Perry Mason,was certain that each and every one of my clients were innocent."
My husband is a defense lawyer. His attitude is that would decline to defend someone if he knew that they were guilty, but I don't think that he would have to be 100% sure that they were innocent. Due to the cost involved, he would be disinclined to involve his small firm in a murder trial.
Two of the Cole brothers might have had a big enough grudge against him. Saw a piece about that case on NBC Friday night, and while one brother was supporting his mother, the other two were not, and refused to even talk on camera. That family was one very strange family, the wife had killed the husband--accusations abound in all directions.
The statement I recall was that Laci had a lover, or was it a number of lovers, and that one of them might have done it. He had a nasty way of insinuating, and that turned me off as much as the content of his statements. He's not one of my favorite commentators--if I see him on CTV or one of the others, I'll usually change the channel.
OH yeah. I think you're right. It was that Laci had a lover. Oooh i just can't stand this guy. How terrible. At this time i can't even feel sympathy for this guy. He's so disgusting.
I really am sorry he lost his wife, but at the same time, from what I've seen of him, he's a really scummy kind of a guy.
It very coincidental that during this high profile Polk trial, this murder should happen.
IMO, it's either got something to do with the people involved in the case, or Horowitz wants it to look that way.
I wonder if Horowitz would try to imply that someone in Laci's family did this. Remember how Laci's brother said that he had considered killing Scott himself.
And who gave the SF Chronicle his cell number?!
http://home.earthlink.net/~bdega/criminaldefenselawyerdanielhorowitz/
I don't know if this is a cell, but it was on the above link. Also, I imagine the paper probably already had it since he is a high profile guy who probably enjoyed calls from the media.
"Daniel Horowitz can be reached at 510-444-4888"
...and it happened on a foreign island.
Isn't this guy David Horowitz's brother?
Just once, I'd like to see somebody really go off on one of these press idiots: "Your entire family was just eaten by sharks, how are you feeling right now?"
Much to my shock and amazement,I once heard Alan Dershowitz admit that your observation is,in fact,true!
"I'm telling you there was a one-armed man!"
I am surprised to learn Horowitz was married.
please please have a little mercy. dan is my step dad. pam my mother. these past 2 days have been the worst of my entire life. dan is a good guy who loved my mother very much. and she loved him with all her heart. ive never ever ever met a happier more in love couple. she had never been happier and had expressed this to me on many occasions. it kills me to see people say such heartless things on here but then what should i expect. its the internet and no one really knows my family. please, i beg of you, tho, please have a little compassion for my family in this dark dark time.
Bless your heart. I'm so sorry for your loss. Please take care of yourself and don't read these message boards right now. They're not about your mom, only about a horrible thing that happened to someone we've seen on TV.
We're all for justice around here, you'll find that and we have more than enough compassion and love for victims of all crimes. Please rest and keep up whatever strength you have, because you'll need it.
Thank you for coming here and letting us know you're reading. My prayers are with you and your family.
Oh my God, I am so sorry for your loss. I know what it is like to lose a parent you love so suddenly. Your whole world is turned upside down. Even when I lost both of my grandparents at a time in their lives it was expected, it was not easy. It gave me great comfort to know people were thinking of me and offering prayers of comfort.
Check your freepmail (up in the right hand corner).
The worst two days of your life and you decide to sign up today to post on FR?
Yeah, right.
When General Westmoreland passed away I posted a comment about a picture of the General. Something along the lines of a gentleness in his expression which spoke volumes about his character.
Imagine my surprise the next morning reading a freepmail thanking me for that remark, and how true it was. It was from his son. (And it is something which I treasure). IIRC, he had signed up that evening. I am sure he privately responded to many posters, not just mine.
You never know who is reading these threads. Because of the above, I will accept on faith the poster is who he/she says he is. What have I lost?
When my own father died, I searched the papers for all mention of his death. It was pre-internet. If I was a child in the Horowitz family, I can see myself doing a search to see what is in the news. This thread may have popped up. I would definitely sign up to respond, although I would not be as nice as the poster was.
When I read this news I felt terrible. My overall impression of your step dad is a good one. People tend to get upset with defense lawyers until they need one. We must all remember that your step dad's profession may seem scummy but what he stands for is what this country is based on "innocent until proven guilty."
everyone was asleep. its hard for me to get answers as we're being couped up in a hotel and oddly enough im getting more answers to questions by reading news reports than i am by getting updates here at the hotel. im trying to find out everything i can by any means necesarry. and yes, after this ordeal i will need some help. my mother was a very very special person and i am going through extreme grief. i want answers. when i see disparaging remarks, at this point time in time, what normally would roll off my back hurts especially bad. my fault for even readin these. but im scouring the net looking for every bit of info i can get. this will be my life's mission.
The butler did it.
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