Peter Leo Knecht, 78, renowned criminal defense attorney, died Oct. 3 after a two-year battle with cancer with his wife Ava by his side.
His life was filled with many close friends and colleagues. He had recently received his 50-year plaque from the California Bar Association.
“He was famous in LA County courtrooms for his persuasive style and sense of humor and continued a thriving practice up to the present time,” a loved one explained.
Born in 1936 in Vienna, Austria to parents Dr. Rudolph and Elizabeth Knecht, he fled with his family to the U.S. during World War II, landing in Los Angeles to begin a long, storied career that spanned decades of societal cultural change. Perpetually fascinated by the criminal justice system, loved ones said Knecht was always challenging himself, representing high-profile cases against the largest opponents he could imagine: the U.S. and the State of California.
He is credited with helping change search and seizure laws by taking adverse rulings to the Appellate and Supreme Courts of California and the United States. He appeared as an analyst and consultant to the criminal justice system on national, international and local television networks.
He liked to use a phrase by Eleanor Roosevelt to describe his work ethic and philosophy, “If you want to get something done, go to a busy man.”
His autobiography, “Blood & Justice on the Sunset Strip,” will be published posthumously.
He is survived by his wife Ava, son Chance, daughter Courtney and grandson Aaron.
A service and memorial will take place at the Tanach Chapel at Mount Sinai Cemetery, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles, 90068, on Oct. 12 at 3 p.m.