Accused Slayer Slashes Lawyer’s Nose in Court
A drifter accused of stabbing to death six Los Angeles-area transients cut his lawyer’s nose with a makeshift knife before bailiffs wrestled him to the floor Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
A prospective juror was being questioned by the lawyers about the juror’s view of capital punishment when Joseph Danks lunged at Deputy Public Defender Larry Rivetz.
Rivetz, 36, obtained medical treatment on his own and was in his office by mid-afternoon.
The juror was immediately excused and Superior Court Judge Raymond Mireles issued a gag order barring courtroom personnel from talking about the incident.
The knife allegedly used by Danks was fashioned from a toothbrush and razor blades, according to law enforcement sources.
Danks, 27, pleaded not guilty a year ago to six murder charges in the deaths of transients in Koreatown and in Santa Monica. He has been held in County Jail since. If convicted, he could get the death penalty.
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