Bill Martin, prosecutor in Speck case, dies at 80

By Emily Donovan Law Bulletin staff writer

Posted July 10, 2017 2:50 PM

William J. Martin, the prosecutor turned criminal-defense lawyer turned lawyer’s lawyer who once earned a death-penalty verdict against Richard Speck, died Friday at the age of 80.As a 29-year-old with the state’s attorney’s office, Martin represented the people’s case against a man who, in 1966, broke into a townhouse and systematically tortured, raped and murdered eight sleeping student nurses inside.“He wasn’t 30 years old yet, and he was the lead counsel on the Speck case,&rdquo …

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