The new attorney for accused D.C. mansion killer Daron Wint has handled sex crimes, gang violence, attempted murder and corporate malfeasance, but only once before has he taken on a first-degree murder case.
Even so, attorney Sean Hanover, 41, a former businessman and teacher, said he felt compelled to take the case after meeting Wint's mother, sister and brother.
"They left a phone message saying they needed help in the D.C. mansion murder case and, frankly, at first we didn't think it was real," Hanover said. "When we met and heard their story we felt compelled to help. Most people can't afford a $100,000 defense."
Hanover said his services will cost Wint's family considerably less.
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Police have said they have DNA evidence linking Wint to the house, but also believe other accomplices are still at large. At a recent news conference, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier declined to comment on the case, saying only, "It is still under active investigation."
Hanover has met with Wint in jail three times.
"Our client has really opened up and is confident the truth of the matter will show him in a better light," Hanover said.
Hanover, who practices in Washington, D.C., and Virginia, graduated from law school in 2008 and established Hanover Law with four other attorneys. Prior to law school, Hanover was a jeweler, goldsmith and owner of the Twin Brooks Hallmark & Jewelry Store in Virginia. He also worked summers as a science and math teacher at the prestigious Thomas Jefferson Magnet School in Alexandria, Virginia.
"When I graduated from college with degrees in human resources and industrial relations, I wanted to go to law school, but I knew I couldn't make any money for a long time, so I went into business," he said. "When I felt financially secure, I knew I wanted to go to law school because I had always felt a passion for the law and people who could not afford to defend themselves."
Hanover pointed with pride to the only painting in his law office conference room, which depicts four white police officers with shields towering over a black man sitting on the ground, head bowed, with the words, 'I am a man,' scrawled next to him.
His landing the high-profile case created some buzz at the public defender's office, which had been representing Wint, because of Hanover's limited murder case experience.
Hanover said his firm can handle the heat, and he pointed to a victory Friday in a non-murder jury case in D.C. Superior Court.
"We have very strong investigators and experts and years of experience in very complicated cases," Hanover said. "Mr. Wint will receive an excellent defense."
Wint's preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday in D.C. Superior Court.