F. Lee Bailey, the controversial defense lawyer who represented O.J. Simpson, the “Boston Stranger” Albert DeSalvo, and the doctor who inspired The Fugitive, has died. He was 87. Bailey was a member of Simpson’s legal “dream team” that helped the former football star got acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman.
Bailey’s son, Bendrix Lee Bailey, told TMZ that Bailey died Thursday morning at a hospice in Georgia. Bailey’s death was not COVID-related, and his family believes he died of old age. Bendix said his father did not ask for a funeral and he will likely be cremated. Bailey’s former law partner, Superior Court Judge Kenneth J. Fishman, also confirmed his death to the Boston Globe.
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Bailey was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, and a graduate of Boston University School of Law. He quickly made a name for himself throughout the late 1950s and 1960s by taking on high-profile cases. He represented George Edgerly and Sam Sheppard, whose case inspired The Fugitive TV series and movie. He also defended DeSalvo, who told Bailey he was responsible for the “Boston Strangler” murders, but DeSalvo was only found guilty of assaults.
Before the Simpson case, Bailey’s most high-profile client was Patty Hearst, who committed armed bank robberies after she was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army. Hearst was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison. Hearst’s sentence was commuted by President Jimmy Carter in 1977 and she was pardoned by President Bill Clinton in 2001. In her autobiography, Hearst accused Bailey of drinking while defending her and signing a book deal before the trial started.
Bailey joined Simpson’s legal team before the preliminary hearing and held news conferences throughout the case. His most famous moment came when he cross-examined Det. Mark Fuhrman, pointing out the detective’s use of the n-word. Fuhrman’s credibility was called into question, and observers believe that helped set up Simpson’s acquittal. Bailey long believed Simpson really was innocent of the murders.
After the Simpson case, Bailey ran into several legal issues, leading to his disbarment in Florida in 2001 and Massachusetts in 2003. In 2009, he moved to Maine and passed the bar exam there in 2012. However, the Maine Board of Bar Examiners voted against allowing him to practice law. Bailey appealed the decision, but it was upheld by the Maine Supreme Court in 2014.
Aside from his legal career, Bailey also hosted the TV show Good Company in 1967, interviewing celebrities from their homes. He also hosted the shot-lived 1983 show Lie Detector. In 1982, he was arrested for drunk driving in California, and represented by Robert Shapiro, who would later defend Spimson with Bailey. Bailey was married four times and had three children.
