Pubdate: Tue, 04 Mar 2003 Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA) Copyright: 2003 Hearst Communications Inc. Contact: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388 Author: Jim Herron Zamora, Chronicle Staff Writer HALLINAN CALLS ON TOUGH, VETERAN PROSECUTOR TO HANDLE SFPD CASE He Has Reputation For Being Cool Under Fire The San Francisco assistant district attorney who is prosecuting the Police Department's top brass is a tough, methodical lawyer with a quiet demeanor and quick legal mind, according to lawyers who've seen him in action. A native San Franciscan, Albert Murray has been a prosecutor in the city for 32 years, handling everything from misdemeanor marijuana cases and complicated embezzlement scams to elder abuse and murder. "Al Murray puts in his case like a bricklayer," said Jeff Brown, who retired as San Francisco public defender in 2001. "He's handled many politically sensitive cases before. He can take the heat." His past cases included a major voting fraud probe in the 1970s; a death penalty murder case in 1979; the police misconduct case involving the Rathskeller bar in the 1980s; and the Foxglove case, in which several elderly men were allegedly slowly poisoned to death and bilked for their assets in the 1990s. But despite such high profile cases, Murray is a prosecutor who rarely talks to the media outside of court. "I'm not the kind of person who needs to see my name in the paper or my face on TV," Murray said in a short interview Monday. "It's not how I do my job." Criminal defense lawyers described Murray as a formidable opponent who rarely makes a mistake, even in difficult cases. They say his sharp legal mind often keeps him several steps ahead of the defense. "He's got a low-key professional approach," said defense attorney Tony Tamburello, whose law partner is representing Deputy Chief Greg Suhr. "He's worked for more than 30 years beside police officers. Murray's working relationship with the Police Department is one of mutual respect. He is the last person I would think would be rabidly trying to prove the police were at fault." Murray, born in the city more than 60 years ago, has shown his competitive skills since he was a boy. Friends recall that Murray, a quarterback for Sacred Heart high school, stayed in the game after breaking his nose. "He's the ultimate team player," said Paul Cummins, chief assistant district attorney and a colleague for more than 25 years. "He's not flashy, but he is lethal in the courtroom." Murray got his bachelor's degree from St. Mary's College in Moraga and started working for the district attorney's office not long after he finished Golden Gate Law School. Early in his career, Murray showed an ability to handle a variety of cases, and he was more than happy to not specialize in any single aspect of criminal prosecution. "I chose Al Murray because he is a perfect person for this case," said District Attorney Terence Hallinan. "He will be objective. He is cautious He is respectful. He is the kind of person who has the character this case requires." Since becoming district attorney in 1996, Hallinan said he had used to Murray for "difficult cases" that might not succeed under other prosecutors. In the Foxglove case, Murray was asked to resurrect an old investigation in which a group of relatives allegedly swindled and poisoned eight elderly men. The case was full of problems. The two original police investigators had been taken off the case for alleged wrongdoing. Several witnesses had changed their stories. Murray obtained indictments after presenting the case to the grand jury over a four-month period. Parts of the indictment were later thrown out by a trial judge, but Murray fought it every step of the way. An appeals court reinstated the indictments last year, and the case is awaiting trial. "Al took a very hard case and has done a great job with it," Hallinan said. It was Murray, primarily, who presented the case to the grand jury that Thursday handed up indictments against 10 police officers -- including Chief Earl Sanders, assistant chief Alex Fagan Sr., and two deputy chiefs. Murray next will take the case to trial in San Francisco Superior Court, Hallinan said. "I trust him with our most difficult and sensitive cases," Hallinan said. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek