A veteran trial lawyer and top prosecutor in the courtrooms of the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice is moving on. Haddy E. Abouzeid, 37, is leaving Wayne County after 10 years of prosecuting violent criminals in Michigan’s largest city.
Abouzeid began work for the U.S. Department of Justice in mid-October. He works in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, in the Sacramento branch.
Abouzeid graduated from Wayne State University Law School in 2011, where he spent two years in the moot-court organization, the last year as vice chancellor. He parlayed an internship with the prosecutor’s office into a full-time job after passing the bar examination in 2011.
Abouzeid began his prosecutorial career in the Misdemeanor Trials Division, left briefly to work private practice, then returned to the office to try felony cases. By mid-2017, he was working in the Homicide Unit. Since June 2021, he has worked on only the most heinous felonies and has reported directly to Prosecuting Attorney Kym L. Worthy.
“Haddy is the perfect mix of professionalism, passion and integrity,” Worthy said. “He has an incredible work ethic and has handled much more than he should and doesn’t complain. He is a friend to his colleagues, a guiding light to our victims, and a calming presence at all times. I wish him much success and he is welcome to come back to us at any time.”
Abouzeid tried 10 misdemeanor cases to verdict early in his career, mostly assaultive and property crimes. As his workload grew more complex, he tried nearly 100 cases to verdict (most by jury). He stopped counting after 80 trials.
Twenty of the 80-plus felonies were homicide prosecutions, none of which resulted in acquittals. Abouzeid is unaware of any of his trial convictions being overturned, either on appeal or by the trial judge.
In a farewell message to his colleagues on September 30, his last day with the county, Abouzeid offered the following advice: “Keep going. Fail better. Embrace the chaos. Learn from defeat and equally analyze your successes. Welcome conflict in the courtroom (if necessary) and never back down from anyone (including the judge) if you need to make a record or extract a critical fact from a witness in a case. Always remember that the decibel level of an advocate’s argument does not equate to its truth.”
Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Paul Cusick commented that Abouzeid “is an honest, fair and dedicated prosecutor who is committed to our system of justice. Whenever he came into the courtroom,
everyone knew that the prosecution was well-prepared and had a strong advocate on their side. I have no doubt that Wayne County’s loss will be Sacramento’s gain and truly wish him well.”
Abouzeid has been devoted to educating newer lawyers and prospective lawyers. He regularly doles out advice in the office and teachers seminars on trial advocacy and the use of newer technology to persuade jurors. Since 2017, Abouzeid has co-taught a trial-advocacy class to third-year students at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. In the fall of 2020, he did double duty when he also co-taught an evidence course as a temporary replacement for a full-time faculty member.
And, beginning in 2020, Abouzeid has made a weekly visit to East Lansing to teach a trial-advocacy course at the Michigan State University College of Law. Many of his students from Detroit Mercy Law and MSU Law have commented that Abouzeid’s class was their most helpful course in law school.
Abouzeid originally hails from the town of Shelby in West Michigan, where he was the only student of Middle Eastern ancestry. (His father is from Egypt.) After the 9/11 attacks, he encountered a significant amount of bigotry.
He told The Legal News for a 2011 article that he viewed the suspicion and jokes he endured after the attacks as mostly the result of ignorance and not malice.
“I think a lot of it wasn’t particularly hard-core,” he explains. “I would say a lot of my peers were ignorant on the whole thing. Their view of Arab-Americans was exactly what they say in the media, even prior to 9/11, thoughts like, ‘Arab-Americans are violent.’ It fueled me to have to get better at communicating and arguing my case.”
Michael Glynne, a friend and fellow Wayne County homicide prosecutor who has worked with Abouzeid since 2012, noted the deep respect his colleague had earned among the bench, the defense bar and fellow prosecutors.
“Haddy is one of the most dedicated and hard-working prosecutors I have ever had the privilege of serving with,” Glynne said. “He is honest, meticulous, and loyal. His diligence and mastery of the law are second to none.”
Sanford Schulman, a criminal defense attorney in Detroit who practices in state and federal courts, echoed Glynne’s comments. “Haddy is a hard-working prosecutor who is always prepared for trial. He is remarkably effective at trial and has an impeccable reputation. Haddy was always fair and willing to listen on some of the most difficult cases. I am sure he will be an addition to his new office.”
Abouzeid’s work ethic consistently impressed Louie Meizlish, a friend since their first days at Wayne State University Law School and Abouzeid’s teaching partner at Detroit Mercy Law.
Meizlish commented that Abouzeid’s departure was bittersweet considering their close friendship.
“To know, befriend and work with Haddy has been a dream. Haddy and I are not biologically related, but we are brothers. My son calls him ‘Uncle Haddy’ because he is Uncle Haddy. He is a wonderful human being.”
Meizlish, an assistant prosecutor in Oakland County, recalled Abouzeid’s prosecution of David Clifford, who killed an intellectually disabled young man after taking out an insurance policy on the victim’s life.
“Haddy did something I had never heard of for a prosecutor: He successfully intervened in the estate case and convinced the probate judge to stay the discovery process so it would not interfere with the criminal prosecution.”
More recently, Meizlish observed Abouzeid’s work ethic as he prosecuted Deangelo Martin, a Detroit-area serial killer who is now serving a de facto life sentence.
“Haddy told the feds he needed to finish what he started with Deangelo Martin before he could move to California. And Haddy made sure the job was done.”
Most importantly, Meizlish said, Abouzeid is scrupulously honest and reasonable.
“Reject a plea offer from Haddy at your peril: You’re going to spend several days boxing with your worst nightmare, and the nightmare is going to win.”
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