Some cases are personal

Law enforcement victims get prosecutor’s attention

Yancy Polk tried to kill a Coral Springs police officer in 2009.

That probably would have been enough to get the attention of Broward State Attorney Mike Satz, who has been known to take a particular interest in a case when law enforcement officers are the victims of violent crimes.

But Polk did more. He robbed an auto parts store of $1,200, shot at several officers to get away, striking and wounding Coral Springs Officer Paul Kempinski, and broke into a private home to hold a family of four hostage for more than an hour.

Satz, who was first elected to the county’s top prosecutor job in 1976, oversaw the prosecution of Polk when the case went to trial in November 2010.

Last week, he appeared before a jury for the first time since the Polk trial. This time, Satz is seeking the conviction and execution of Eloyn Ingraham, Andre Delancy and Bernard Forbes, the three men accused of the ambush murder of Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Tephford in 2006.

Their trial began with opening statements on Tuesday and is expected to last about six months.

Previous courtroom opponents said Satz is a forceful, commanding presence who enlists the aid of his best lieutenants to make sure he knows everything there is to know about a case.

“He has the best support team a defense lawyer is ever going to go up against,” said Alex Arreaza, who crossed swords with Satz in the 2008 trial of David Maldonado, who shot and wounded Broward Deputy Maury Hernandez a year earlier.

“His opening statements are excellent, as are his closing arguments,” said Arreaza. “He’s a politician. He knows how to give a speech. I felt that my best opportunity to score with the jury was when I was cross-examining witnesses, because that’s the only time when not everything will go according to his plan.”

The Maldonado case was the first of three

that Satz handled since Tephford died on Nov. 12, 2006.

The second was the case against Michael Mazza, who killed Broward Sheriff ’s Deputy Paul Rein in November 2007. Bradley Collins, Mazza’s lawyer, negotiated a plea deal. Mazza pleaded guilty in exchange for four life sentences — one for murder, one for robbery, one for carjacking and one for escape with a firearm. In exchange, prosecutors declined to seek the death penalty.

“Our main concern was making sure justice was served and he’d never be on the streets again,” Satz said at the time.

Polk’s case, the last time Satz appeared in front of a jury, was the third. Polk was found guilty, and Broward Circuit Judge Jeffrey Levenson sentenced him to 14 life terms.

Satz hasn’t restricted himself to cases involving police officer victims. He tried the case of Robert Levar Henry, who tortured and killed two co-workers at a Deerfield Beach fabric store in 1987. Henry was the last inmate from Broward County to be executed, in 2014.

“Satz was a gentleman and more than a formidable opponent,” said Henry’s lawyer, Bruce Raticoff. “And he was absolutely the most prepared lawyer I’ve ever tried a case against.”

Satz also tried the case of Gerhard Hojan, who killed two employees of a Davie Waffle House in 2005. One of the victims was a 17-year-old mother who begged to be spared so she could see her baby again. Hojan was convicted and sentenced to die, but earlier this year he was granted the right to a new sentencing hearing because the jury’s recommendation for death was not unanimous.

Satz didn’t have a definitive answer to explain why he decides to handle a case. “There are times when a case stands out for the brutality, for the inhumanity,” he said.

But when the victim is a police officer, the decision is easy, he said.

“These cases are significant,” Satz said of crimes that target on-duty officers. “They are the symbols of what we all fight for. An attack on them is an attack on the whole community.”

Satz