Decades before “me too”became the mantra for victims of sexual abuse, trial attorney Robert Steadman defended a Flint woman who killed her husband after years of abuse and misery.
Sixty-four years later, Steadman, 93, of Traverse City was inspired to write “I Killed Sam,” the fictionalized account of the trial based on his groundbreaking defense in 1957, when spousal rape was exempted as a criminal offense in most of the country. In this story, attorney Bob Nichols uses the same novel legal approach Steadman did: claiming self-defense and temporary insanity. It seemed contradictory, but the strategy effectively allowed testimony of the horrific abuse to be heard during the trial.
Steadman said he felt compelled to write I Killed Sam not only to shed light on the difficulty victims often face in getting a fair trial, but also because knowledge of his legal approach in the 1957 trial might be beneficial to attorneys today.
“As I looked at some of the cases in Michigan, I realized my approach to the defense needed to be known.”
The novel is more than a legal trial; it follows a young, small-town lawyer who must juggle his obligations to his client and to his fledgling law practice. There’s also a romantic element—Nichols is in love with Betty, the defendant and his high school sweetheart whom he should never have let go. Nichols is tortured by the thought of losing his long-shot legal gamble, which would mean forever losing Betty to life in prison.
Even with the cultural shift in attitudes from the 1957 trial to the book’s publication, the tragedy of abuse continues and the story still resonates today.
“The trial still seems current because abused women are still getting the short end of the stick,” Steadman said. “I have a genuine concern about violence against women and hope my book helps change the culture in some small way.”
Steadman had his reasons for choosing a fictional approach.
“I have a clear memory of the case and believed it would be more impactful as fiction. I was able to add critical materials that helped the story without detracting from the message.”
Steadman graduated from Wayne University Law School in February of 19511. Drafted in May of 1951 for the Korean conflict, he completed Officer Candidate School and was discharged as a second lieutenant late in 1953.He worked for a year as assistant prosecutor for Genesee County.
After learning to fly, his aviation expertise led to a position as corporate and trial attorney for Airway Insurance Company in Ann Arbor, where he defended aviation death cases from Massachusetts to Alaska for several years.
Steadman was 81 in 2009 when he tried and won his last jury case, which awarded $400,000 for fraud against a local bank.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
http://legalnews.com/subscriptions
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
http://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
