After his client Jason Van Dyke was found guilty of second degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, defense attorney Dan Herbert praised him as the “one of the toughest” people he’s ever met.
In a press conference after the verdict was read, Herbert described the trial as a “heavyweight title fight,” and confirmed that his client will appeal.
“You went into a heavyweight title fight against Mike Tyson with both hands tied behind your back, and you’re still standing,” he said. “That guy is the toughest man I’ve ever met in my life.”
After the verdict was read, Van Dyke was taken into custody and had his bond revoked, and will remain in custody until he is sentenced.
In spite of the conviction, Herbert says that he sees ways forward as he seeks to get the verdict overturned.
“We have a lot of legal challenges ahead of us,” he said. “We see that as an inconsistent verdict. We’re certainly going to revisit the issue of change of venue, and we are going to look at this verdict and see what our options are.”
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Even outside of the verdict itself, Herbert says that his legal team is happy that Van Dyke and his family “have their life back.”
“We’re relieved that we’re not looking at a death sentence, but we know that we can get even better and perhaps throw everything out,” he said.
