Lawyer Kuby Attacks Police On Stein Case

By CHRISTOPHER FAHERTY, Staff Reporter of the Sun
November 28, 2007

The case against the accused killer of real estate agent Linda Stein, which has come under criticism from many quarters, may be hitting another bump in the road, as the suspect's family showed up in court yesterday with a high-powered lawyer.

Ronald Kuby, a renowned defense attorney and former radio host who was retained by the family of Natavia Lowery last week, lambasted the allegations against his client moments after she was denied bail in Manhattan Criminal Court.

Mr. Kuby, who announced yesterday that Ms. Lowery is seven weeks pregnant, said police illegally questioned his client in the course of obtaining her confession.

"In order to crack the big case and to get the big headlines, there was a rush to judgment, in which the police engaged in an end run around the most basic constitutional protection, the right against self incrimination," Mr. Kuby said.

Law would have required police to contact Ms. Lowery's lawyer, Gilbert Parris, before the interrogation that led to her confession, Mr. Kuby said.

Earlier in the day, the Manhattan district attorney, Robert Morgenthau, said Ms. Lowery's confession is valid because she told investigators she didn't want to speak with her lawyer, who was hired by her father. However, Mr. Kuby said police were still required to contact Mr. Parris.

"Once council enters the picture on the case where the suspect is being questioned, that right to council attaches indelibly," he said.

Police said Ms. Lowery confessed to bludgeoning Stein to death, but Mr. Kuby said her confession was coerced.

"This young woman was locked in an interrogation room for 12 hours," he said. "She made basically a hostage video in which she said the things the police needed her to say. She knew there was no way she was getting out of that room until she finished her hostage video."

Hitting on doubts already raised in the case, Mr. Kuby questioned the validity of the weapon with which police said Ms. Lowery confessed to bludgeoning Stein.

"A yoga stick wasn't the murder weapon, there is no such thing as a yoga stick," Mr. Kuby said. "Natavia Lowery knew she had to say something, say anything to get out of that room, so she made something up."