Suspect Messes With One of a “Few Good Men”

You might not know his name, but a New Haven lawyer portrayed by Tom Cruise in "A Few Good Men" on the big screen, is facing an allegation by an accused murderer.

Walter Bansley III is representing Gary Dillard, who is accused of stabbing his girlfriend to death two years ago inside her Hamden home.

But a judge has now delayed the trial because Dillard claims Bansley smashed his head against a wall before the scheduled start of his trial Tuesday.  Dillard told the judge Bansley attacked him in the court's downstairs lock-up.

"If I was going to strike him, he'd have some visible injuries - based on my 20 years in the Marine Corps," Bansley told the New Haven Register.

The trial judge approved Bansley's motion to have Dillard evaluated by a psychiatrist to see if he is mentally competent to stand trial.

In addition to his 20 years in the Marine Corps, Bansley also spent time as a Judge Advocate General, an attorney for the military.  

Aaron Sorkin based his character, Lt. Daniel Kaffee, in his play "A Few Good Men" on Bansley.  Tom Cruise made the role famous in the movie version.

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