Bob Mann, lawyer who took on some of RI's most notorious cases, has died
Robert B. Mann, the revered defense lawyer known for taking on some of the state’s most notorious cases, died Monday at Philip Hulitar Inpatient Center after a short illness and a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 76.
Probably best known for representing Craig Price, the Warwick teenager who killed four of his Buttonwoods neighbors in the 1980s, Mann earned a reputation as a tireless advocate whose dedication and skill won praise from friends and foes alike.
Through his five decades in practice, he represented fugitive embezzler Joseph Mollicone; Jason Wayne Pleau, who faced the death penalty for murder; and Gilbert Delestre, the Woonsocket man who beat to death 3-year-old T.J. Wright – among many others facing seemingly insurmountable legal odds. Recognizable for his signature white beard and quiet persistence, Mann always found the humanity of his clients.
“He’s been a very unique figure in Rhode Island. Bob was the most decent, humble person you can imagine,” said Andrew Horwitz, a professor at Roger Williams University School of Law.
Mann maintained an absolute commitment to ethics while fighting as vigorously on behalf of his clients as one possibly could, Horwitz said.
“He was incredibly brilliant,” Horwitz said, while always willing to share his knowledge with law students, young lawyers, anyone who was interested in discussing a legal issue.
“He was a very good criminal defense attorney. He also was a really strong advocate for civil rights,” said Barbara Hurst, a former deputy public defender.
Mann had absolute unwavering faith in the justice system, she said.
Commitment to civil rights
Mann was born and raised in Germany, the son of a U.S. Army lawyer. He lived there until he attended Yale University. He served two years as a lieutenant working in Army intelligence, including a stint in Vietnam, before returning to Yale Law School. His hero was Thurgood Marshall, the late U.S. Supreme Court justice.
Mann came to the state in 1973 upon being offered a job as a volunteer lawyer for Rhode Island Legal Services through the Volunteers in Service to America program. He launched his own practice a year later in an office on Wickenden Street, in Providence. He concentrated on civil rights law, including bringing several lawsuits against the Adult Correctional Institutions in the late 1970s, and criminal defense.
For years, he shared a practice with John Roney, the late state Senate parliamentarian.
"I know he has a house, but I'm convinced he lives at the office. … He's all lawyer all the time," Roney once quipped to The Journal.
He was a partner for years with Dana Harrell, who stood by his side in 2020 during a serious battle against COVID that left Mann on a ventilator. During his fight, a rumor even spread throughout the legal community that he had passed away that his family had to dispel.
In 2023, Mann was honored as a champion for justice by Roger Williams University School of Law for “taking on the hardest cases and unwinnable battles – representing the poor, the dispossessed, the most notorious, and the most despised” with unparalleled dedication. He received an honorary degree from the law school in 2015.
He was also a recipient of the Rhode Island Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Richard M. Casparian Award, the Justice Assistance’s Neil J. Houston, Jr., Memorial Award, and, in 2022, he became the first lawyer to be honored with the U.S. District Court’s Olin W. Thompson III Justice Award.
"The entire federal judiciary in Rhode Island is saddened by the death of Bob Mann. We lost a giant in the criminal justice system. He led a life of consequence – zealously defending everyone’s constitutional rights, regardless of who they were or the charges against them. Bob was smart, effective, decent, and humane. Bob was a champion for justice for everyone. Our entire Court will miss Bob Mann’s tremendous contributions to justice for all," U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. said Tuesday in an email.
He is survived by his stepdaughters Susannah – who followed him into criminal defense work – and Samantha Cotter and granddaughter, Eleanor Cotter-Grayson as well as his former partners, Harrell and Camille McKenna. Mann's wife, Suzannah Mitchell, the Cotters' mother, lives in Tennessee.
More to come ...
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI defense lawyer Bob Mann dies; represented Mollicone, Craig Price
