Behind the Headlines: Charles Salvagio
by Stephen Hauck
CBS 42 News
2008-02-10 20:00:00.0
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He's one of the most well-known criminal defense attorneys in our area, but what is Charles Salvagio really like behind the headlines?
Salvagio found his fame defending some of the most high-profile criminal cases, resulting in countless acquittals. But, there's more to this man than meets the eye.
He's a high school drop-out from the streets of Ensley. Now, Charles Salvagio is known for his career as a criminal defense attorney.
"You've got to be a defender of their constitutional rights, the state's job is to prove their case, and your job is to make them prove their case, and that's the way I approach that."
Salvagio was thrust into the spotlight in 2001, when he successfully defended Terry Bonner, a homeless man accused of killing a young woman on Birmingham's Southside. The decision of "not guilty" set off pandemonium in the courtroom, as the victim's father reacted to the verdict.
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"Certainly, the Temples' case is one will always stick out with me. It's one that I passionately believed in, because this guy was a homeless guy and he had no idea why he was being charged," said Salvagio.
By looking at the headlines on the wall, it's obvious Salvagio's had a successful law career, but it might surprise you, he didn't even try his first case until he was 40, and what he did before that, will surprise you as well.
"Everything from engineering, to computers, to truck driving, to ditch digging, to roofing, I've done just about everything, disk jockey.”
During his law career, Salvagio has received death threats, saying he remains heavily armed. But, he says from the moment he worked his first criminal case, one month after passing the bar, he knew this was the job for him.
"The attempted murder case ended up with second degree assault and I was off and running. I said I know where I'm supposed to be, that was a rush."
Along the way, he was introduced to Thomas Mesereau, even before he became famous for successfully defending Michael Jackson.
“I didn't know him from Adam, so he gets off the plane with his long white flowing hair, and I'm thinking, we're gonna be alright."
The two have worked numerous cases together, and Salvagio convinced Mesereau to start a local law firm.
"I said let's open up a business down here, me and you together, you've got world-wide fame."
In the decade since Salvagio began his law career, his job has afforded him a rather comfortable lifestyle.
He gave me a rare look inside his 13,000 square foot home, including a peak at his Corvette collection, his closet where some of his 150 suits hang perfectly in place, and what he calls his “mafia room."
"I love being a lawyer, I love this profession, I love helping people. I think that's what we're here for is to help people and defend those who need defending."
Salvagio and his wife are the proud parents of a three-year-old girl, and a baby boy. He says people may not realize it after forming opinions of what he does professionally, but having children has given him a completely new outlook on life.
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