Polly Nelson
Encyclopedia
Polly Jean Nelson is an American attorney and author. She is best known as a member of serial killer
Ted Bundy
's last defense team from 1986 until his execution in 1989.
, the eldest of five children. After receiving her undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota
in 1975, she spent two years as a social worker in Warren, Minnesota
, followed by three years licensing day care facilities at the Minnesota Department of Public Welfare in St. Paul. In 1981 she enrolled at the University of Minnesota Law School
, where she became president of the school's Law Review, and received her Juris Doctor
degree in 1984. In 1985 she worked as a law clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.
law firm of Wilmer Cutler and Pickering as a junior associate. A few months later she accepted a pro bono
assignment from the Florida Office of the Capital Collateral Representative (CCR) to assist in efforts to stay Ted Bundy's imminent execution on multiple murder convictions. Although she had no previous first-hand experience in criminal law or the appeals process, she and co-counsel James E. Coleman, Jr. were able to secure three stays before Bundy was finally executed on January 24, 1989.
was published by William Morrow & Company. In addition to a detailed description of the appeals, motions, and other legal maneuvers that were employed in the attempt to save her client from the electric chair, Nelson describes her own intellectual and emotional development during that three-year period. There is also a summary of the efforts made by Bundy and various psychiatrists to explain why he did what he did. Nelson's account later engendered harsh criticism from Michael Mello, the CCR attorney who originally sought outside help in filing Bundy's appeals. "Sending Bundy's case from CCR was one of the worst decisions I've made as a deathworker," he wrote.
In 1995 Nelson filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against novelist John Grisham
and his publisher Doubleday
for copyright infringement. She alleged that Grisham's book, The Chamber
, "blatantly appropriated central themes, plot twists, characters and descriptive details" from Defending the Devil. In 1996 Judge Royce Lamberth dismissed the suit, calling the charges "meritless". A year later, the U.S. State Court of Appeals unanimously dismissed Nelson's appeal, noting that it "does not warrant an opinion." Nelson was ordered to pay attorneys' fees for both parties.
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy
Theodore Robert "Ted" Bundy was an American serial killer, rapist, kidnapper, and necrophile who assaulted and murdered numerous young women during the 1970s, and possibly earlier...
's last defense team from 1986 until his execution in 1989.
Education and early career
Nelson grew up in central MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, the eldest of five children. After receiving her undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1975, she spent two years as a social worker in Warren, Minnesota
Warren, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,678 people, 699 households, and 432 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,174.1 people per square mile . There were 785 housing units at an average density of 549.3 per square mile...
, followed by three years licensing day care facilities at the Minnesota Department of Public Welfare in St. Paul. In 1981 she enrolled at the University of Minnesota Law School
University of Minnesota Law School
The University of Minnesota Law School, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, is a professional school of the University of Minnesota. The school offers a Juris Doctor , Masters of Law for Foreign Lawyers, and joint degrees with J.D./M.B.A., J.D./M.P.A, J.D./M.A., J.D./M.S., J.D./Ph.D.,...
, where she became president of the school's Law Review, and received her Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree in 1984. In 1985 she worked as a law clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.
Bundy litigation
In 1986 Nelson joined the Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
law firm of Wilmer Cutler and Pickering as a junior associate. A few months later she accepted a pro bono
Pro bono
Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...
assignment from the Florida Office of the Capital Collateral Representative (CCR) to assist in efforts to stay Ted Bundy's imminent execution on multiple murder convictions. Although she had no previous first-hand experience in criminal law or the appeals process, she and co-counsel James E. Coleman, Jr. were able to secure three stays before Bundy was finally executed on January 24, 1989.
Aftermath
Nelson was terminated by Wilmer Cutler a few months after Bundy's execution. Bundy's defense had cost the firm, it claimed, in excess of $1.5 million. In 1989 she was appointed to the District of Columbia Board of Parole, and later served as general counsel at Adcom Worldwide and legal counsel/privacy officer at Computer Network Technology.Book and plagiarism litigation
In 1994, Nelson's book Defending the Devil: My Story as Ted Bundy's Last LawyerDefending the Devil: My Story as Ted Bundy's Last Lawyer
Defending the Devil: My Story as Ted Bundy's Last Lawyer is a 1994 nonfiction book written by Polly Nelson and published by William Morrow & Company. Nelson served as serial killer Ted Bundy's last lawyer before his execution in 1989...
was published by William Morrow & Company. In addition to a detailed description of the appeals, motions, and other legal maneuvers that were employed in the attempt to save her client from the electric chair, Nelson describes her own intellectual and emotional development during that three-year period. There is also a summary of the efforts made by Bundy and various psychiatrists to explain why he did what he did. Nelson's account later engendered harsh criticism from Michael Mello, the CCR attorney who originally sought outside help in filing Bundy's appeals. "Sending Bundy's case from CCR was one of the worst decisions I've made as a deathworker," he wrote.
In 1995 Nelson filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against novelist John Grisham
John Grisham
John Ray Grisham, Jr. is an American lawyer and author, best known for his popular legal thrillers.John Grisham graduated from Mississippi State University before attending the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981 and practiced criminal law for about a decade...
and his publisher Doubleday
Doubleday
-History:It was founded as Doubleday & McClure Company in 1897 by Frank Nelson Doubleday, who had formed a partnership with magazine publisher Samuel McClure. One of their first bestsellers was The Day's Work by Rudyard Kipling. Other authors published by the company in its early years include W....
for copyright infringement. She alleged that Grisham's book, The Chamber
The Chamber (novel)
The Chamber is a legal thriller written by American author John Grisham.-Plot:The Chamber, set largely in and around the Mississippi State Penitentiary, is the story of Sam Cayhall, a former Klansman who has been convicted of murder and sentenced to death by gas chamber 20 years after his bombing...
, "blatantly appropriated central themes, plot twists, characters and descriptive details" from Defending the Devil. In 1996 Judge Royce Lamberth dismissed the suit, calling the charges "meritless". A year later, the U.S. State Court of Appeals unanimously dismissed Nelson's appeal, noting that it "does not warrant an opinion." Nelson was ordered to pay attorneys' fees for both parties.