Roger Douglas Groot ( 1942 – 2005 ) was the Class of 1975 Alumni Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University School of Law in Lexington , Virginia , where he had taught since 1973 . Prior to graduating law school , he 'd served six years in the United States Marine Corps , including a tour in Vietnam as an advisor to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam . He was an expert in criminal law and procedure , and the death penalty . Groot had been appointed counsel in several Virginia capital cases , appointed as defense legal analyst in federal death penalty cases , and consulted in several hundred capital cases , including Lee Boyd Malvo ( Beltway Sniper ) and Peter Odighizuwa ( Appalachian School of Law shooting ) . At the time of Groot 's death , none of his clients had been sent to death row
Appalachian School of Law shooting
Appalachian School of Law shooting
Roger Groot