Accused Cop Killer Punches Lawyer in Court

Third day of bizarre court room behavior by man charged with Sgt. Liczbinski's murder

The man charged with murder in the death of a Philadelphia police officer has completed a third day of “irrational” behavior by punching his own lawyer in court Wednesday morning.

Eric Floyd, 35, who is being tried for the 2008 shooting death of Philadelphia Police Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, punched his defense lawyer, William L. Bowe, twice before sherriff’s deputies removed him from the court room, according to Tasha Jamerson of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.

Floyd’s attack may not have come as a total surprise, as he started out his trial on Monday by telling the judge he would rather be executed than be represented by his court-appointed attorney. Judge Renee Cardwell Hughes told Floyd he could not represent himself because he was being “irrational.”

Floyd’s behavior continued on Tuesday when he refused to shut up in court, and at one point loudly argued with Bowe during jury selection, pushing the judge to ordered that Floyd be removed from the court room.

"Mr. Floyd, you have disrupted this proceeding for two days," Hughes told the defendant Tuesday, reports the Daily News. "Your behavior is pure contempt of court."

It was right after Hughes asked Floyd if he would behave Wednesday morning that the accused cop killer punched his own lawyer, reports the Inquirer.

Bowe was able to walk out of the courtroom and was brought to Jefferson Hospital for treatment.

This is the second time in three months that Bowe has been punched out by one of his defendants in a murder trial, according to CBS3.

Floyd and co-defendant Levon T. Warner, 41, could face the death penalty if found guilty of first-degree murder, though they did not fire the shots that killed 39-year-old Liczbinski on May 2008 while the three were fleeing police after a bank robbery.

Howard Cain pulled the trigger and was later killed in a shootout with police, say authorities.

Floyd will face assault charges, authorities say.
 

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