The difference between a verdict of guilty or not guilty in the Christopher Porco murder trial may rest in the hands of the attorneys. Criminal defense lawyer Terence Kindlon and his partner in both practice and in life, wife Laurie Shanks, are the defense team for Delmar native Christopher Porco. Porco is on trial for allegedly murdering his father Peter Porco and attempting to murder his mother Joan. Kindlon will attempt to present a case showing that Porco was not given a chance to represent himself legally when being questioned by Bethlehem Police the night after the attacks. He will also explain to the jury that the prosecution has offered no physical evidence linking Porco to the crime on the night of Nov. 15, 2004 when the attack occurred inside the family’s Brockley Drive home. I’ve been handling murder cases since the 1970s and they are the most intriguing cases, said Kindlon. `The downside is that the consequences are the most grave. A person could spend the rest of his life behind bars. In this trial I expect to hear a loud and clear not guilty verdict twice.` Kindlon has tried more than 150 cases to verdict and has represented a number of men facing the death penalty in both state and federal court. Kindlon is no stranger when it comes to facing death. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for serious wounds received in combat. He credits his staff and legal team for much of his recent success and notoriety. `I’ve got a very good team of lawyers who work here,` said Kindlon, a graduate of Albany Law School. One of those lawyers is his partner and wife, Laurie Shanks, who is also representing Porco. Shanks is a graduate of Arizona State Law School and is also a faculty member at Albany Law School. Shanks frequently serves as a trial consultant to criminal defense lawyers throughout the country. Albany County assistant district attorneys Michael McDermott and David Rossi are presenting the people’s case against Porco. McDermott has handled over 30 homicide cases, and has presented hundreds of cases to Supreme and County Court grand juries. The case against Porco is largely circumstantial relying on the fact that Porco was heavily in debt, failing in school, and had forged his father’s name on a $30,000 loan application. Another key piece of evidence the prosecution hopes to use is a nod by Porco’s mother Joan to police the morning after the attacks when she was asked if Christopher had committed the brutal crimes against her and her husband Peter. McDermott is a 1989 graduate of Albany Law School and has been chief assistant prosecutor since 2002. McDermott won the 2004 Arson Prosecutor of the Year award in recognition of his work in closing high-profile arson cases. The Christopher Porco murder trial is one of the most costly and high profile murder trials in the history of Albany County. The trial is being held in Goshen, Orange County because of the heavy media exposure for close to two years leading up to the case. The trial is expected to last anywhere from four to six weeks. Judge Jeffrey Berry, a Supreme Court Judge in Orange County, is presiding over the case. “