‘I had to leave. Tears came to my eyes.’
The horrible memories flooded over criminal defense attorney Akil Secret Monday as he listened to testimony over whether Beverly Hall’s trial should be delayed because she has steadily progressing Stage IV breast cancer.
Secret sat in court because he represents one of Hall’s co-defendants, former Deerwood Academy assistant principal Tabeeka Jordan.
But as oncologists testified about Hall’s cancer, Secret couldn’t help but think of his wife LaVerne’s own battle against breast cancer. Her chemotherapy caused unabated nausea, intense pain in her bones, sleepless nights and unrelenting fatigue. And whenever it looked as if she was about to recover from her chemotherapy, it was time for more, with the ensuing side effects more intense with each of the 17 rounds.
When the state-hired oncologist questioned the wisdom of giving Hall more chemotherapy because he believed it would do little good, Secret said, he seethed. And he bolted from the courtroom after the oncologist testified that Hall should be tried right away because she was probably going to die in the coming months.
“I had to leave,” Secret, 62, said later. “Tears came to my eyes.”
That evening, Secret vented his frustration on his Facebook page, describing what he had seen as “loathsome and despicable” and criticizing prosecutors for not conceding the delay.
“The fact that such conduct came from lawyers that I have come to respect makes me ashamed,” Secret wrote. “Does ‘justice for the children’ have its place? Maybe, but not at the expense of basic human dignity.”
Secret said he went public on behalf of his family and others with loved ones stricken with cancer. He also said there is good news regarding LaVerne: her cancer, first diagnosed in March 2011, is in remission.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
