Real Housewives of Miami Sneak Peek: Lea Black and the William Kennedy Smith Trial

Bravo TV surprised us last night by airing Episode 1 of the Real Housewives of Miami after Watch what Happens, Live!  At first, all the women blended together for this viewer.  But one name made me sit up and take notice. Lea Haller from the William Kennedy smith trial, circa 1991.

The trial of William Kennedy Smith was televised . All the elements of drama were there: the high profile defense attorney, Roy Black, and one of the better looking Kennedys on trial for rape.  But the intriguing part was the attention Roy Black paid to the blonde juror in the front row. The question of when they actually got together has died away over time, but here she is on reality TV. In the early 90’s she was everywhere, talking about the trial. And yes, Roy Black won the case.

From the People Magazine Archives: 1995

Haller was, in fact, one of the most memorable characters to emerge from the nationally televised trial. Afterward, well-spoken and telegenic, she appeared on such shows as Donahue, talking about her courtroom experience. Still, the Haller-Black union “begs the question of how they met,” says Moira Lasch, the prosecutor who lost to Black in the Kennedy Smith case. Lasch sounds stern for a second—then breaks into laughter; she is only teasing her old opponent. During a trial lawyers are prohibited from communicating with jurors outside the courtroom—but no one, including Lasch, believes Black broke any rules. Says Miami attorney Jeffrey S. Weiner, former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and a friend of Black’s: “They started dating after the trial,” he says. “There was absolutely no impropriety whatsoever.”
So why did they keep their wedding a secret till now? The only reason, says Black, is that they didn’t want to take the edge off their family wedding, which was to have taken place at their main residence, a historic home on the Grenada golf course in Coral Gables. But renovations there are taking longer than expected, they say, and before a date could be set, fate intervened in the form of a burglar who broke into their rental home on Jan. 13, stealing jewelry, silverware and personal belongings. The couple filed a police report, listing themselves as Lea’ (as she spells it) and Roy Black. Soon word that they were married hit the Miami gossip circuit.

Maybe airing this franchise before the Real Housewives of New York was a good decision by Bravo, for whatever the true reason. The other women, Lara Pippen, Marysol Patton and her mother Elsa Patton and the other ladies seem quite messy.

That’s why we watch!

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