Roger Groot
Encyclopedia
Roger Douglas Groot was the Class of 1975 Alumni Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University
School of Law in Lexington, Virginia
, where he had taught since 1973. He was an expert in criminal law and procedure, and the death penalty. Groot had been appointed counsel in several Virginia capital cases, appointed as defense legal analyst in federal death penalty cases, and consulted in several hundred capital cases, including Lee Boyd Malvo
(Beltway Sniper) and Peter Odighizuwa (Appalachian School of Law shooting
). At the time of Groot's death, none of his clients had been sent to death row.
New York Times reporter Jayson Blair
wrote an article about Groot's defense of Malvo. However, the New York Times later noted that this article was among those where Blair misrepresented himself. Despite the bi-line stating that Blair was reporting from Lexington, VA, he did not go to Lexington and only interviewed Groot on the phone.
Groot earned his B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University
in 1963, and his J.D. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
in 1971.
Groot authored many law review
articles on criminal law
/procedure topics, especially the early history of trial by jury
.
Groot regularly lectured at death penalty CLE programs, and was a member of the faculty, Virginia Death Penalty College. He was a frequent speaker to bar groups and specialty bars such as the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and the Virginia College of Criminal Defense Attorneys.
Groot was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Order of the Coif
, a member of the Board of Governors of the Virginia Bar Association
, and a Fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation. He died while hunting at the age of 63 on November 12, 2005, of a cardiac arrhythmia caused by idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy
.
Virginia Senate Joint Resolution No. 188 honors the life of Groot.
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
School of Law in Lexington, Virginia
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 7,042 in 2010. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.It is home to...
, where he had taught since 1973. He was an expert in criminal law and procedure, and the death penalty. Groot had been appointed counsel in several Virginia capital cases, appointed as defense legal analyst in federal death penalty cases, and consulted in several hundred capital cases, including Lee Boyd Malvo
Lee Boyd Malvo
Lee Boyd Malvo , is a spree killer convicted, along with John Allen Muhammad, of murders in connection with the Beltway sniper attacks, which took place in the Washington Metropolitan Area over a three-week period in October 2002...
(Beltway Sniper) and Peter Odighizuwa (Appalachian School of Law shooting
Appalachian School of Law shooting
The Appalachian School of Law shooting was a school shooting that occurred on January 16, 2002, at the Appalachian School of Law, an American Bar Association accredited private law school in Grundy, Virginia, United States...
). At the time of Groot's death, none of his clients had been sent to death row.
New York Times reporter Jayson Blair
Jayson Blair
Jayson Blair is an American reporter formerly with The New York Times. He resigned from the newspaper in May 2003 in the wake of the discovery of plagiarism and fabrication in his stories. Since 2007 he has worked as a life coach in the field of mental health.-Background:Blair was born in...
wrote an article about Groot's defense of Malvo. However, the New York Times later noted that this article was among those where Blair misrepresented himself. Despite the bi-line stating that Blair was reporting from Lexington, VA, he did not go to Lexington and only interviewed Groot on the phone.
Groot earned his B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
in 1963, and his J.D. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
in 1971.
Groot authored many law review
Law review
A law review is a scholarly journal focusing on legal issues, normally published by an organization of students at a law school or through a bar association...
articles on criminal law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
/procedure topics, especially the early history of trial by jury
Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its...
.
Groot regularly lectured at death penalty CLE programs, and was a member of the faculty, Virginia Death Penalty College. He was a frequent speaker to bar groups and specialty bars such as the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and the Virginia College of Criminal Defense Attorneys.
Groot was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Order of the Coif
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. A student at an American law school who earns a Juris Doctor degree and graduates in the top 10 percent of his or her class is eligible for membership if the student's law school has a chapter of the...
, a member of the Board of Governors of the Virginia Bar Association
Virginia Bar Association
The Virginia Bar Association is a voluntary organization of lawyers in Virginia, with offices in Richmond, Virginia.- VBA Mission : is the independent voice of the Virginia lawyer, advancing the highest ideals of the profession through advocacy and volunteer service.- History :The VBA, , was...
, and a Fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation. He died while hunting at the age of 63 on November 12, 2005, of a cardiac arrhythmia caused by idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy, which literally means "heart muscle disease," is the deterioration of the function of the myocardium for any reason. People with cardiomyopathy are often at risk of arrhythmia or sudden cardiac death or both. Cardiomyopathy can often go undetected, making it especially dangerous to...
.
Virginia Senate Joint Resolution No. 188 honors the life of Groot.