HCBA Lawyer Magazine No. 31, Issue 1 | Page 29

MyFriend,adrian criminal law Section Continuedfrompage26 A few weeks ago, in one last burst of unchained impulse, Adrian ran to his room, locked the door and took his own life. As his mother called to tell me the news, I was not thinking of the big fees we sometimes get from C-suite executives or flashy headlines or the shot of adrenaline racing through you when a jury walks in with the paper. I thought of a rosewood guitar, a homemade owl-box, and a set of pirated Johnny Cash CDs Adrian made for me. In my hand, I am writing this very piece with a pen Adrian and his Dad carved out of something called “snakewood” (“Paul, I want you to have this, it’s so f---ing cool”.) Anyone who is around our criminal justice system for a significant time will tell you our biggest problem is how we deal with our mentally ill. We didn’t know what to do with them thirty years ago, and we still don’t know what to do with them today. They are everywhere. They are in our own family. They are sleeping on the streets. They are the forgotten people of our court system. Sometimes they are us. But if you pause to see the real person, they will teach us so much. They will benefit from your time, and the fact you cared to listen. Adrian was many things to many people — a beloved brother, son and grandson. He was my client and my friend. The Adrian I knew never decked his professor, never pulled a weapon, never said a cross word. He was a kind, gentle soul who was born with a little more or a little less of something organic that is determined very early on in our life. We medicate these people today. We change their medication tomorrow. We up their dose. We lower their dose, but we don’t really fully understand. We’re getting better. In one last episode of impulse, the Adrian I never knew killed the one I do. I will miss you my friend. You were my “mensch.” Oh, Adrian … “that’s a dude I really admire.” n Author: Paul M. Sisco – The Law Office of Paul M. Sisco S E P T - O C T 2 0 2 0 | H C B A L A W Y E R 2 7