Yes, You Might Recognize Jack Jones’ Lawyer From Netflix
Rosemary Scapicchio represented Sean Ellis in the 'Trial 4' documentary series
Jack Jones’ lawyer addressed reporters Tuesday after the New England Patriots cornerback appeared in East Boston Municipal Court to face charges for allegedly having two loaded guns and ammunition in his carry-on luggage at Logan Airport last Friday.
And she might’ve looked familiar to those watching from home.
Rosemary Scapicchio, the highly experienced criminal defense lawyer representing Jones, is well known for her role in the exoneration of Sean Ellis, who spent more than two decades in prison after being wrongfully convicted of killing Boston police officer John Mulligan in 1993.
The fight to have Ellis’ conviction overturned was the subject of a true crime documentary series, “Trial 4.” released on Netflix in 2020.
Hence why Scapicchio might’ve looked familiar Tuesday as she offered a scathing assessment of Jones’ situation, claiming her client has been labeled a “thug” by the media despite there being “no evidence whatsoever.”
“This is not a situation where Mr. Jones ever wanted to be a thug or thought of as a thug, but because he’s a young Black man, all of a sudden, he’s a thug,” Scapicchio said, as transcribed by CBS Boston. “That’s what’s happened here. There’s no evidence of that whatsoever. And it’s disrespectful to Mr. Jones and everyone else — every other Black man in America who’s young and Black — to be called a thug because he happens to be Black.
“This is the institutional racism that we deal with every day in the court system. There’s no indication whatsoever that he was in any way disrespectful, there’s no information at all that he was in any way or did anything to say he wanted to be a gang member or a thug. He’s a young Black man charged with a crime. Therefore, he must want to be a gang member, he must want to be a thug.”
Jones, who was traveling from Boston to Los Angeles at the time of his arrest, pled not guilty Tuesday. He’s due back in court Aug. 18.
The Patriots selected Jones in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The 25-year-old is coming off a strong rookie season in New England, but his future on and off the field obviously hangs in the balance amid his legal troubles.
