Defense countersuing

Kevin Knoefel’s defense lawyers say he’s ‘not innocent’ in wife’s murder

Kevin Knoefel’s own trial defense team has come forward to say that the former Willoughby Hills man is not innocent in his wife’s murder, according to legal documents filed this week in Lake County Common Pleas Court.

Knoefel, 45,is serving life in prison with parole eligibility in 42 years.

He was convicted last year of convincing his teenage foster daughter to stab his 41-year-old wife, Lisa, to death at their home on Nov. 16, 2012.

In August, Knoefel filed a legal malpractice lawsuit against defense attorneys Michael J. Connick, Gary Vick Jr. and Dennis N. LoConti, alleging excessive fees and unprofessional behavior at trial. He also claimed Connick lied about the extent of his murder trial experience to

get hired.

But by filing the suit, Knoefel alleviated the burden of the attorney-client privilege.

Now, Knoefel’s attorneys are countersuing him for breach of contract, claiming Knoefel still owes them $216,120.64 in legal fees, plus interest.

The trio of attorneys are also fighting the allegations against them in his suit through their own lawyers, Timothy Brick and Hannah Klang.

“Plaintiff is not ‘innocent’ and in fact, admitted to defendants that he engaged in criminal acts which were at issue in the underlying criminal proceedings,” according to the countersuit. “Any damages (Knoefel) seeks to recover in this case are barred or limited as a result of his admission that he engaged in criminal conduct.”

The defense team is seeking damages and attorney fees from Knoefel. They also want Judge Vincent A. Culotta to dismiss the malpractice case at Knoefel’s costs.

“Plaintiff’s claims are brought strictly for the purpose of harassing Defendants,” the attorneys stated in the counterclaim.

Knoefel is at Mansfield Correctional Institution and is now represented by North Olmsted attorney Joseph Patituce, who is also representing him in his pending appeal.

Patituce previously said filing the malpractice suit was necessary because “attorneys need to be held to a higher standard of professionalism.”

Knoefel is asking for unspecified damages to be determined at trial.

Knoefel was convicted of all 11 counts against him, including sexual battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated murder. He maintains his foster daughter, Sabrina Zunich, now 21, acted alone and was mentally ill.

Prosecutors said he and Zunich had a sexual relationship and that he promised her they would be together with his wife’s $785,000 in life insurance money.

Zunich, who testified against Knoefel at trial, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and is serving 30 years to life.

DUNCAN SCOTT — THE NEWS-HERALD Kevin Knoefel, second from left, and his defense team, from left, Dennis N. LoConti, Gary Vick Jr. and Michael J. Connick, stand for the jury in Lake County Common Pleas Court on June 9, 2014, day six of Knoefel’s trial on a charge of conspiracy to...