For anyone reading the headlines in the 1970s, the case of Sara Jane Olson (formerly known as Kathleen Ann Soliah) likely seemed like an impossible job for any attorney willing to take her on as a client. As a member of the militant far-left organization known as the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), Olson had been accused of involvement in several violent acts, including a violent robbery of the Crocker National Bank, an attempted bombing on Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) cars, and the kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patty Hearst. Furthermore, Olson had eluded capture by authorities for over 20 years after she was indicted by a grand jury for the bombing case in 1976.
Kenneth Rosenfeld Steps In
After she was finally arrested in 1999, the task of defending her in court and providing her with the right legal counsel fell to Attorney Kenneth Rosenfeld, a California-based criminal defense attorney known for his willingness to take on high-stakes, high-profile legal cases with ample media attention surrounding them. Most recently, Rosenfeld made headlines of his own for successfully defending former NFL player Dana Stubblefield in his highly publicized sexual assault case. Stubblefield was looking at 15 years to life in prison until Rosenfeld and his defense team had the conviction overturned due to the prosecution’s violation of the California Racial Justice Act of 2020, which forbids racially charged language from the prosecution in court.
Building a Defense Around Context and Humanity
In this case, Kenneth Rosenfeld demonstrated comprehensive legal knowledge and an understanding of the external circumstances and contexts affecting the case, skills that had served him well during Sara Jane Olson’s trial following her arrest. Olson was initially looking at a sentence of two consecutive 10-year-to-life terms in 2002. However, Rosenfeld encouraged the relevant parties to look beyond the complex, politically charged nature of the case and consider the context behind Olson’s actions and the human behind the accusations. Rosenfeld recognized that Olson had joined the SLA when she was young and impressionable, the kind of person whom extremist political organizations target for recruitment. While she was still responsible for her own actions, Olson was in some ways a victim of the propaganda, isolation from the outside world, and extreme emotional fervor that militant political groups inflicted upon their adherents.
The Courtroom and the Court of Public Opinion
Kenneth Rosenfeld recognized the inherent difficulties of defending someone accused of a bombing, both in court and in the court of public opinion. The case would always be an uphill battle unless the judge and jury were able to look beyond the shocking nature of the charges and sympathize with the person sitting at the defendant’s table. By encouraging sympathy, along with strategically playing the cards they were dealt, Rosenfeld was able to secure a better outcome for Olson than the initial 20-year sentence. Olson eventually accepted a plea bargain, which led to a shortened sentence of 14 years. She served 7 years of this sentence before being released on parole on March 17, 2009. Today, she lives with her family in Minnesota, free from the prison she would have spent most of her life in.
Why This Case Still Matters
Kenneth Rosenfeld’s defense of Sara Jane Olson illustrates the need for strong legal representation, even in the most challenging legal cases for an attorney. Without strong legal representation, a case can go from bad to worse. By expounding on the context behind their client’s actions, a good defense attorney can change the narrative surrounding the case and humanize their clients enough to change their fates in court. By understanding that public perception can often outweigh evidence in politically charged trials, Rosenfeld was able to adjust his strategy in order to even the odds, separating emotions from facts and restoring fairness to the process.
