Honorees

Barton C. Sheela, Jr.

1921-1999

Upon graduation from Stanford, Bart Sheela enlisted in the Navy where he became a carrier pilot in WWII.  During the war, his squadron flew submarine patrols off the aircraft carrier Card to escort and protect ships sailing across the Atlantic.  “In October 1943, pilots sighted a German submarine and forced it to dive. ¶ Mr. Sheela dropped a 500-pound bomb and sank it, according to his family.” (San Diego Union, April, 6, 1999, B-5).

After the war and with his law degree from Stanford, he joined the San Diego District Attorney’s office.  There he tried many high profile cases including acting as lead prosecutor in the liquor license scandals of the 1950’s.  This prosecution included that of Freddie “the Bomp” Bompensiero.  In 1955, he left for private practice and was a partner in the firm of Sheela, Lightner, Hughes and Castro.  For the next forty years he practiced criminal defense and personal injury. 

At one time, when attorney John O’Laughlin was his law partner, they represented codefendants in the Whisenand kidnapping case.  Both clients were acquitted.  But O’Laughlin was held in contempt.  Sheela represented him on appeal, getting the contempt annulled (O’Laughlin v. Superior Court (1957) 155 Cal. App. 2d 415.)

He was also appointed counsel in the case of Corenevsky v. Superior Court, a capital case in Imperial County.  Just before trial, the County Board of Supervisors said it was not going to pay him on the ground that such payment would allegedly “bankrupt” the county (Corenevsky v. Superior Court (1984) 36 Cal. 3d 307, 314).  Bart was allowed to leave the case,  and the judge struck the death allegation.  But then the County refused to pay the public defender’s request (ordered by the trial court) for expert and investigative fees.  This led to an important Supreme Court case upholding the right to such paid services in criminal cases.

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