Attorney of Murdered Wife Testifies Against Accused Husband

By Carolann Lowe and Millette Millington

December 31, 2009 was a day like any other, until the nine-year-old daughter of Roderick Covlin, Anna, went into the family apartment in Upper East Side Manhattan. She found her mother, Shele Danishefsky Covlin, lifeless in the tub in a bathroom.

Shele Covlin’s former attorney, Lance Howard Meyer, was questioned Thursday in the trial of Roderick Colvin, a month into the court proceeding.

In March 2009, Shele Covlin met Meyer to discuss filing a divorce suit against her husband. Meyer claimed that her interest in doing so “derived from her intention of protecting her children and herself and to move on with her life.” In April, Shele Covlin and Meyer met again to discuss how they would go about the filing that would allege physical abuse on the part of the husband.

In May, Meyer received text messages from Shele Colvin, informing him that the husband was attempting to move back into the apartment they once shared. Because of this, Shele Covlin decided to change locks on her apartment door and to file a restraining order against him. On July 8, 2009, Roderick Colvin took their children and accused her of abusing their son Myles. She also claimed that he hacked her email account.

Roderick Covlin’s attorney, Robert Gottlieb, challenged Meyer’s testimony. The trial is continuing.