Norfolk attorney defending 2 men charged in triple homicides, including one accused of killing the other’s mom
Shortly after Ziontay Palmer was charged with killing three women at a Norfolk public housing complex last November, his family hired attorney Eric Korslund to represent him.
Korslund — a former public defender and onetime Marine — has become one of the most sought after criminal defense lawyers in the area, and has represented suspects in some of Norfolk’s most notorious murder cases.
A few months after Korslund was hired to defend Palmer, he was asked to represent a man charged in a March triple homicide on Granby Street: Antoine Legrande.
Choosing to hire Korslund normally wouldn’t be considered a surprising move for Legrande, considering all the murder cases the defense lawyer has handled. What made it unusual is the fact that Korslund was already representing Palmer — the man police and prosecutors say killed Legrande’s mother and injured his sister.
Legrande is accused of fatally shooting three people outside a bar in downtown Norfolk. Among those killed was Virginian-Pilot reporter Sierra Jenkins.
Legrande’s mother was 45-year-old Nicole Lovewine, who was one of three women killed during a Nov. 3 shooting at Young Terrace in Norfolk.
Lovewine’s adult daughter, Angel Legrande, shares a child with Palmer and was one of two other women who were shot that day but survived. She’s also Antoine Legrande’s sister.
“It’s an unusual set of circumstances,” Korslund said. “But I made sure they all knew.”
The lawyer said he met with two of Legrande’s immediate family members and Legrande’s girlfriend at his office to discuss whether they wanted to hire him to represent their loved one. Korslund said he immediately told the group he was representing Palmer, which at first upset one of the relatives.
“When I told them, (one relative) felt very uneasy about it,” Korslund said. “He was not comfortable, and didn’t even want to be in the office.”
But after discussing the matter further, the relative decided to go along with hiring Korslund. The defense lawyer said he later told Palmer, and Palmer also said he was OK with it. The lawyer then asked both sides to sign waivers stating they were on board with him being involved in both cases.
Korslund said he also called the Virginia State Bar’s ethics hotline to make sure the organization didn’t see any potential conflicts of interest.
The hotline is available to the bar’s approximately 32,000 members to call or email to ask questions about the rules of conduct that apply to attorneys, said Cameron Rountree, interim executive director of the Virginia State Bar.
Rountree said the hotline gets about 30 calls or emails a day. Potential conflicts of interest is a frequent topic of concern, he said.
“I use that (the hotline) a lot,” Korslund said. “Just for my peace of mind.”
Korslund said Virginia State Bar officials told him they didn’t see a conflict since he’s not taking a position that would be considered adverse to either side, and wouldn’t need to disclose any confidential information.
“What the bar said to me is that if you feel you can zealously represent both of them, then that’s fine,” the defense lawyer said.
The next court hearing for Legrande is Sept. 6, when he’s scheduled to have a preliminary hearing to determine if prosecutors have enough evidence to send his case on to a grand jury. Palmer’s case is scheduled for trial on Feb. 6.
Both men are being held without bond while they await trial. Legrande, 25, is housed in the Norfolk city jail, while Palmer, 20, is at Hampton Roads Regional Jail in Portsmouth.
Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com
