Mecham’s No. 1 Attorney Resigns, Five More Hired

PHOENIX — On the eve of what would have been the greatest challenge of his 30-year legal career, the man who has been the lead lawyer for impeached Gov. Evan Mecham for months has resigned.

Murray Miller, 60, who with his son has defended the governor through impeachment proceedings as well as Mecham’s criminal indictment, declined in a brief interview today to reveal his reasons for quitting although he said, “My main concern is that the governor gets a fair legal shake.”

However, Mecham hired five additional attorneys early this week, including Jerris Leonard, a Washington attorney and former congressman, and Miller said earlier the Leonard move came as a surprise.

“That was the first time I met him, when he walked in here on Tuesday,” Miller had said with a shrug.

The Senate dealt Leonard a setback Wednesday night, rebuffing his plea for a delay to let him catch up on the case but agreeing to let Leonard join the defense team. Miller had said at the time that he would be the lead counsel “at the beginning” because he was most familiar with the case.