UNITED STATES: Singer D4vd’s lawyers withdraw leaving him with a public defender
D4vd has been dealt a major setback in his murder case after his attorneys told a judge they could no longer represent him, with the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office now taking over his defense after he was determined to be unable to afford private counsel.
Attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter appeared in court Monday and told the judge they were unable to continue representing the singer. They did not publicly give a reason for their withdrawal. The court subsequently appointed the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office to represent D4vd after determining that the 21-year-old qualified for appointed counsel.
In a statement to TMZ, Berk, Bednarski and Peter said: “This morning the court granted our request to withdraw as counsel and appointed the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, after it was determined David qualified for appointed counsel.
The attorneys added: “We continue to support David and his defense against these serious charges. We are grateful that the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office has taken over the representation and that David has a highly capable and committed team of attorneys and investigators behind him.”
The appointment of a public defender is a striking development because D4vd reportedly earned at least $11 million from his record deal with Interscope.
Despite that reported income, there have been few signs of extravagant spending. The 21-year-old had been living in a rental home, and there had been no obvious displays of an unusually lavish lifestyle. It remains unclear what happened to his reported fortune or why he was determined to be indigent and eligible for court-appointed representation.
D4vd has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges and is expected to return to court on October 19. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman is also expected to address the media soon. It is unclear whether the change in legal representation will affect the timing of the case or result in any delay, and no trial date has been set.
