Introduction
Peter Leo Knecht (September 16, 1936 – October 3, 2014) was a criminal defense attorney from Los Angeles, California.
During his career, Knecht represented many Hollywood and music-biz celebrities, including David Crosby, Anna Nicole Smith's former boyfriend Mark "Hollywood" Hatten; Jason Priestly.
Knecht eventually moved to the defense side of the law, primarily through his affiliation with the law practice of Harry Weiss.
Knecht appeared as a television analyst and consultant on criminal justice for major news outlets, including national CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX broadcasts, and locally for KCAL-TV-Channel 9 and KCOP-TV-Channel 13. He also appeared on Celebrity Justice and on CNN. His major cases have been featured on morning talk shows like The Today Show and Good Morning America.
Personal life
Knecht was married to Ava Cadell from 1992 until his death in 2014.
He died on October 3, 2014, at his home in the Hollywood Hills from cancer.