Peter Leo Knecht

Peter Leo Knecht, 78, the renowned criminal defense attorney, died October 3, 2014 after a two-year battle with cancer, with his wife Ava by his side. He is survived by his wife Ava, his son Chance, daughter Courtney and grandson Aaron. His life was filled with many close friends and colleagues, and he had just received his 50-year plaque from the California Bar Association. He was famous in L.A. County courtrooms for his persuasive style and sense of humor, and continued a thriving practice up to the present time. Born in 1936 in Vienna, Austria to loving parents Dr. Rudolph and Elizabeth Knecht, he fled with his family to the United States during World War II, landing in Los Angeles to begin a long, storied career that spanned decades of societal cultural change. Perpetually fascinated by the Criminal Justice System, he was always challenging himself, representing high profile cases against the largest opponent he could imagine: The United States of America and the State of California. He is credited with forever changing search and seizure laws by taking adverse rulings to the Appellate and Supreme Courts of California and the United States. He appeared as an analyst and consultant to the criminal justice system on national, international and local television networks. He liked to use a famous phrase by Eleanor Roosevelt to describe his work ethic and philosophy "If you want to get something done; go to a busy man." His autobiography Blood & Justice on the Sunset Strip will be published posthumously. A service and memorial will take place at the Tanach Chapel within Mount Sinai Cemetery at 5950 Forest Lawn Drive, LA, CA 90068 on Sunday, October 12, 2014 beginning at 3pm.