Criminal Defense Attorney
Joseph Murtha

OF COUNSEL

Joe Murtha is a veteran criminal defense litigator who has tried cases in both State and Federal Courts. A graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law, Joe began his career as an Assistant State's Attorney for Howard County, where he tried a wide variety of criminal cases. Joe's career as a prosecutor mainly included the prosecution of felony matters, including death penalty litigation.

Joe entered private practice in 1995 as an associate with a Baltimore law firm where he became a partner after a number of years. In 2003 Joe joined veteran litigators and established a firm focused on criminal and civil litigation. Joe is now Of Counsel to Jezic & Moyse, offering experience and knowledge in the area of criminal defense.

Joe's successful defense of Linda Tripp for alleged wiretapping violations, which were brought to the attention of the Maryland State Prosecutor during the course of the Office of Independent Counsel Investigation of President William Jefferson Clinton, brought Joe national and international attention and recognition as an accomplished criminal defense attorney.Joe 's sophisticated legal challenge to the investigation resulted in the charges being dismissed. Joe has appeared on national news programs and has been featured in national media publications, and has been a featured speaker in the area of criminal law.

Joe was requested to be lead counsel for William Porter, the first police officer to go to trial in the Freddie Gray "in custody death" case. The jury hung and the case was ultimately dismissed. Joe's involvement in the Officer Porter case was chronicled nationally, recognizing Joe's skill in the courtroom and his ability to handle difficult and challenging cases The case received international attention and placed Joe in the national and international spotlight once agam.

Recently, called upon to accept the challenge of a difficult case, Joe represented Ethan Glover, a DEA task force officer. Task Force Officer Glover was alleged to have stolen money from a cartel member during a federal investigation. The jury acquitted Ethan Glover after a week-long jury trial. As noted in the Baltimore Sun, "Glover's acquittal marks a rare defeat for federal prosecutors and is likely the end of the fallout from the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation into the former Gun Trace Task Force Police Squad."

In another high profile case brought by the Attorney General of the State of Maryland after years of investigating sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, the Attorney General chose to pursue criminal charges against one person, a non-clergy former wrestling coach. The Attorney General highlighted the case in the media and assigned a team of prosecutors and investigators to prosecute the case. After an eight-day trial that was aggressively defended, Joe and his client walked away with an acquittal of all counts.