Rob Sanders, prominent defense attorney who helped save Edgewater murderer Russell Bradshaw from a possible death sentence, is named president of the Volusia County Bar Association

Photo by Sera King / Rob Sanders was installed Thursday as the presidentof the Volusia County Bar Association.

By Henry Frederick
Headline Surfer

DAYTONA BEACH , Fla. -- Fresh off saving Edgewater murderer Russell Charles Bradshaw from a possible death sentence in the throat-slash slaying of New Smyrna Beach resident Lisa Memro with a stellar closing argument to the jury, criminal defense attorney Rob Sanders is on a roll.

Just four days removed from the high profile capital murder trial, Sanders was handed the gavel Thursday at the Bill France Room at Daytona International Speedway where he was introduced as the new president of the Volusia County Bar Association.

Sanders, 39, and Assistant State Attorney Matt Foxman gave compelling arguments to the 12-member jury Monday as to the sentence Bradshaw should receive for beating, strangling and then slashing the throat of his victim, before draining her blood in his family's bathtub and then having sex with her corpse on his bed the night of Sept. 25, 2006. He then went to the Edgewater police station to turn himself in and when no one answered he called 911 and told the police operator: "I just killed someone." When asked if it was an accident, he responded, "No."

The jury recommended life in prison after deliberating 90 minutes as Sanders asked for while Foxman wanted a recommendation of death by lethal injection, insisting to the jury that Bradshaw refused to take responsibility for the killing even after the murder and hiding behind so-called memory loss about what happened. Circuit Judge James R. Clayton followed the jury's recommendation and sentenced the 22-year-old Bradshaw to life in prison without he possibility of parole.

After Thursday's ceremonial luncheon meeting Thursday, Sanders made no apologies for his representation of Bradshaw in a one-on-one interview.

"I have an ethical standard to zealously represent my clients," the 39-year-old Sanders said.

Sanders, married and living in Ormond Beach, has been practicing criminal law in DeLand for 10 years after a couple of years with the Public Defender's Office.

Bradshaw was Sanders' fifth capital murder client. Another of his notorious clients is Roy Lee McDuffie, convicted of murdering two employees at the Dollar General Store in Deltona. His death sentence was recently tossed out buy the Florida Supreme Court and the case is expected to be retried before year's end.

Besides his criminal defense responsibilities and his new leadership position with the Volusia Bar after six years on the board, Sanders also is in his second year as president of the Volusia chapter of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys.

Sanders, along with Gerard Keating, Dave Damore and Tom Mott, are among a select few criminal defense attorneys with the training and experience to represent defendants in capital murder cases where the death penalty is at play.

And more often than not, a victory is not guilt or innocence, but what sentence is delivered with a conviction.

"Generally on death penalty cases, the goal is to get a life sentence," Sanders said.