Prominent criminal defense lawyer Hubert Santos, an Enfield native, dies at age 76
Jun. 22—Hubert J. Santos, an Enfield native who has been a prominent lawyer in the Hartford area for almost five decades, focusing much of his work in the difficult areas of litigation and criminal defense, has died at age 76, according to his law partner, Trent LaLima.
"Attorney Santos had a legendary career defending his clients for 50 years," LaLima said. "He also spent his career with a personal touch, mentoring younger lawyers like me who became excellent attorneys and judges. Along with his countless legal victories, that is his legacy."
Another of Santos' former partners, Hope C. Seeley, went on to become a Superior Court judge, acquiring a reputation for sophisticated legal analysis that is frequently affirmed by Connecticut's Supreme and Appellate courts.
Santos frequently represented defendants in high-profile criminal cases. One such client was Chasity West of Windsor, who was convicted in 2001 of murdering her nephew Jarrell Cuyler, 7, and wounding his younger sister due to what she believed to be a romantic rivalry with their mother, the ex-wife of West's boyfriend.
Although West was convicted and received a life prison sentence, the case was a partial success for Santos and Seeley, who worked with him on the case, in that the jury spared West the death penalty.
A current client of the Hartford-based law firm now known as Santos & LaLima is Richard Dabate, who is accused of murdering his wife, Connie, in their Ellington home on Dec. 23, 2015.
Dabate wasn't arrested until April 2017. Jury selection for the trial was in progress last March when the COVID-19 pandemic struck Connecticut, delaying the trial by more than a year.
Santos could be impressive in much less notorious cases, frequently assembling compelling sentencing arguments on behalf of clients he represented.
Santos graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1969 after serving as lead articles editor of the Connecticut Law Review.
He served as a federal public defender from 1972 to 1974, defending complex criminal cases and regularly arguing before the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York.
In 1978, he was appointed corporation counsel for the city of Hartford.
Gov. William A. O'Neill named Santos as one of the original members of Connecticut's Judicial Selection Commission in 1986, a position he held until 1993. From 1976 to 1986, Santos lectured on trial practice as a member of UConn law school's adjunct faculty.
One of the honors he has received is the 2005 "Champion of Liberty" award from the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. More than a decade earlier, in 1993, the UConn law school Alumni Association gave him the "Distinguished Graduate Award."
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