John Trevena (lawyer)

John Trevena (December 28, 1961) is a lawyer from Largo Florida and he is the owner and principal attorney at the firm Trevena, Pontrello & Associates. Trevena has been the lead criminal defense lawyer on several high-profile cases, including the Michael Drejka "Stand Your Ground" case.[1]

John H. Trevena
Born
John Harry Trevena

(1961-12-28) December 28, 1961
Tampa Bay, Florida
Alma mater
OccupationCriminal Defense Attorney
Years active1987 to present
Spouse(s)Meredith Trevena - Divorced March 2019
ChildrenOne Son - Samuel Trevena
Websitetrevenapontrellolaw.com

Trevena was an Assistant State Attorney from 1985 to 1987. He was admitted to the State Bar of Florida and started his own practice in 1987. In 2015 he became a partner at the firm Trevena, Pontrello & Associates.[2]

High profile cases
  • 2009 Represented Ed Graziano (hired a hitman who was actually an undercover detective to kill his wife Debra).[3] In 2010 Ed Graziano's son John Graziano was injured in a crash with Nick Hogan Bollea, son of wrestling star Terry Bollea (Hulk Hogan).[4] Graziano pleaded no contest to charge of solicitation to commit the murder of his wife in 2011 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.[5]
  • 2010 Jennifer Mee "Hiccup girl" Charged with murder.[6][7] Mee was convicted of first-degree murder, and she was sentenced to life without parole.[8]
  • 2018 John Jonchuck (who dropped his daughter off of a bridge)[9] He was convicted of first-degree murder for dropping his daughter off a St. Petersburg bridge in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison.[10]
  • 2019 William Matthew Napolitano a convicted child sex offender.[11] Napolitano was convicted in federal court Child Enticement And Child Pornography Offenses and sentenced to life in prison.[12]
  • 2019 Michael Drejka in a "Stand Your Ground" case.[13][1] Drejka was convicted of manslaughter on August 23, 2019, and was sentenced to imprisonment for 20 years on October 10, 2019.[14]

Early life and education

Trevena attended the University of South Florida and Stetson University College of Law.[2] He became a police officer and then Assistant State Attorney in Hillsborough County, Florida.[15]

Personal life

Trevena divorced in 2019. Shortly after the divorce Trevena was arrested for domestic violence on March 11, 2019. His ex-wife Meredith recorded him with her cell phone. Trevena was jailed after the incident.[16][17] Prosecutors dropped the domestic battery case against Trevena on April 6, 2019.[18]

Trevena alleged that his wife Meredith Trevena was a drug user. The neighbors of John and Meredith Trevena filed a lawsuit against Trevena in May 2019 alleging terrible odors emanating from the Trevena property. In the lawsuit the neighbors stated: "Based upon the sworn statements of John Trevena, these sickening odors are the result of the use of methamphetamine and heroin and other illicit drugs." The neighbors eventually dropped the suit.[19]

Trevena went to court claiming that a former employee moved into the Trevena home and got his wife (Meredith Trevena) addicted to drugs. He also claimed that the former employee began stealing things from the home and forging checks from Trevena's law firm account. Trevena went to court to seek a protective order from the former employee and her boyfriend.[20] Trevena's wife, Meredith Lynn Recio and the boyfriend of the former Trevena employee broke into the Trevena law firm. They stole a check which they forged and cashed for $8,500 dollars. Trevena told police that they also stole a .44 caliber handgun. Tevena's wife and her friend were booked into the Pinellas County jail.[21]

References
  1. "New attorneys for Michael Drejka address reasons for taking case". USA Breaking News. USA BREAKING NEWS. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  2. "John H. Trevena". Lawyer Legion. Lawyer Legion. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  3. Thompson, Stephan. "Undercover detective testifies in Graziano hearing". Suncoast News Network. Times Publishing Inc. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  4. Harwell, Drew (September 9, 2009). "John Graziano, Passenger in Bollea Car, Goes Home". St. Petersburg Times. The Ledger. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  5. "Edward Graziano seeks leniency for man accused of killing son". Tampa Bay Times. August 8, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  6. "'Hiccup girl' Jennifer Mee may use Tourette's Syndrome as murder defense". Advance Ohio. Associated Press. October 26, 2010.
  7. "'Hiccup Girl' Lived Transient Life Before Alleged Role in Murder, Cops Say". FOX News Network, LLC. Associated Press. October 26, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  8. Getlen, Larry (February 28, 2016). "Hiccup Girl — from social media darling to convicted murderer". NYP HOLDINGS, INC. New York Post. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  9. Soloman, Josh (August 27, 2018). "State drops death penalty bid against Jonchuck, accused of dropping his daughter off bridge". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  10. "John Jonchuck motion for new trial denied after first degree murder conviction". Scripps Local Media. ABC. September 17, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  11. Salomone, Julie (December 6, 2018). "Former Pasco Schools employee sentenced to life in prison for child pornography". Scripps TV Station Group. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  12. "Federal Judge Sentences Former Pasco County Schools Transportation Manager To Life In Federal Prison For Child Enticement And Child Pornography Offenses". Justice.gov. U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  13. Couwels, John; Sanchez, Ray; Levenson, Eric (August 23, 2019). "Florida man found guilty of manslaughter in parking lot shooting that led to 'Stand Your Ground' trial". CNN. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  14. Varn, Kathryn (October 10, 2019). "Michael Drejka sentenced to 20 years in parking lot shooting". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  15. "Power of Attorneys". Trevena Portello Law. Web.com Group, In. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  16. Varn, Kathryn (March 12, 2019). "Michael Drejka lawyer John Trevena arrested in Largo on domestic battery charge". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  17. Rojas, Josh (March 14, 2019). "Exclusive: Cell Phone Video Shows Confrontation Between Attorney, Ex-Wife". Charter Communications. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  18. Soloman, Josh (April 24, 2019). "Prosecutors drop case against Pinellas lawyer John Trevena". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  19. McGivern, Kylie (May 3, 2019). "Lawsuit filed against high-profile attorney in Clearwater Stand Your Ground case". Scripps TV Station Group. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  20. Varn, Kathryn; Solomon, Josh (January 25, 2019). "Prominent Pinellas lawyer John Trevena mired in personal drama". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  21. Varn, Kathryn (June 25, 2019). "Drejka attorney's ex-wife breaks into Largo law firm, police say". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
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