The VLW Blog

Former Richmond public defender John B. Boatwright III died this past Monday after an illness. He was 56.

Mr. Boatwright was a 1981 graduate of the University of Virginia law school. He worked in private practice until 2002, when he became the first regional capital-murder defense attorney in the state.

“John was a fierce advocate. He was committed to representing everybody and was unwaveringly opposed to the death penalty,” Mr. Boatwright’s former law partner William T. Linka told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.