Ed Buck has a new lawyer. Christopher Darden, the former prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson trial, has signed on as a defense lawyer for Buck, the 65-year-old Democratic Donor accused in the fatal overdose of two men at his apartment.
Darden replaced Buck’s public defender last week, the Los Angeles Times reports. The 63-year-old lawyer confirmed his new clientele to The Times but added, “That’s all I can say today. I haven’t received any discovery yet, so that’s all I can say.”
Darden made headlines earlier this year for briefly representing, Eric Holder, the man accused of murdering Nipsey Hussle. He stepped down from Holder’s legal council after receiving backlash, including death threats.
Buck was arrested in mid-September on charges related to the deaths of 55-year-old Timothy Michael Dean, who died in January, and 26-year-old Gemmel Moore, who died in 2017. Days before Buck’s arrest, another man overdosed at his apartment but survived.
In October, a grand jury indicted Buck on two counts of distributing methamphetamine resulting death. He also faces one count of battery serious injury, administering methamphetamine, and running a drug den. If convicted, Buck faces a maximum of life in prison.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.