The homeless man who is accused of starting a fire that brought down a highway viaduct is being represented by a legal dream team.
Five high-powered attorneys have signed on to represent Basil Eleby pro bono (free of charge.
According to the AJC.com, the 5 attorneys are Lawrence Zimmerman, Gerald Griggs, Mawuli Davis, Gary Spencer and Tiffany Roberts.
The attorneys’ reputations precede them. All are experienced in high profile cases involving black defendants vs the City of Atlanta.
Griggs is the vice president of the Atlanta NAACP; Davis is president of the Decatur NAACP chapter; and Roberts has brought cases against the City of Atlanta alleging police misconduct.
Eleby, 39, was indicted Friday on two felony counts of arson and criminal damage to property in the first degree.
He is accused of placing a plastic chair on top of a shopping cart and setting it on fire. The plastic melted and somehow, according to the city, the flames leapt over to a pile of long forgotten high density fiber optic cable spools.
The resulting flames — if you believe the city’s story — was intense enough to bring down a 350-foot section of I-85 overpass constructed of concrete and steel.
Eleby’s next hearing is scheduled for net Tuesday. He is being held in the Fulton County Jail on a $200,000 bond.
