Richard Haynes

Richard "Racehorse" Haynes (April 3, 1927 – April 28, 2017) was a Texas criminal defense attorney. He became a star of the legal world after prevailing in a series of seemingly impossible murder trials in Texas in the 1970s and 1980s. Time magazine named him one of the top defense attorneys in the nation. During one stretch, he reportedly won 163 drunk-driving cases in a row. He was involved in landmark cases such as The State of Texas v. John Hill (a basis for journalist and author Thomas Thompson's 1976 book Blood and Money), and the notorious T. Cullen Davis murder and later solicitation of murder trials in Fort Worth, Texas, both of which ended in acquittals. He also represented Morganna, a.k.a. "The Kissing Bandit", and Vicki Daniel, who was the wife of Price Daniel Jr. His successful defense of Vicki Daniel established battered woman syndrome as a legal defense in the state of Texas. Haynes explained how to plead in the alternative: "Say you sue me because you claim my dog bit you. Well now, this is my defense: My dog doesn't bite. And second, in the alternative, my dog was tied up that night. And third, I don't believe you really got bit. And fourth, I don't have a dog."

Military record Haynes served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Haynes was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for pulling two wounded and drowning Marines from the water after their landing craft overturned.

Personal life Haynes was born in Houston, where he later established his law practice. His father was a plasterer

Haynes died on April 28, 2017, in Livingston, Texas.

In books and movies G.W. Bailey appeared as Haynes in the 1981 film Murder in Texas, which is based in the events arising from the death of Joan Robinson Hill. Dennis Franz appeared as Haynes in the 1995 film Texas Justice, which is based on the book Blood Will Tell by Gary Cartwright. One of the tracks on Tom Russell's 2003 album Modern Art, simply entitled Racehorse Haynes, deals with his career.