For years the engine under the hood of Fulton County’s murder prosecutions, Senior Assistant District Attorney Clint Rucker is regarded by many as the best murder prosecutor in the state.

If there is a high profile case in Fulton County, chances are Senior Assistant District Attorney Clint Rucker is involved in some way.  Rucker has handled hundreds of murder cases during his 14 year tenure with the District Attorney’s Office, including such high profile cases as Ray Lewis, Brian Nichols, James Sullivan and Dianne Baugh. He has also tried many murder cases that were not high profile but of equal importance to the families and friends of murder victims.    

Rucker, a 1990 graduate of Emory University, is not only one of the fiercest prosecutors that a criminal defense attorney could face, but one of the most respected as well.  Ted Johnson, a defense attorney who has known Rucker for over 20 years believes that one of the reasons he is such a good prosecutor is that he is a genuine nice guy.   Johnson says, “If you have a problem with Clint, you need to go look in the mirror because he’s the kind of guy that just wants to be your friend; he simply is just a nice guy.”  It’s this personable nature, Johnson believes, that allows Rucker to connect so well with jurors.  “People sense he is a genuine guy who really cares.  With Clint, it is  never just another case,” says Johnson.    

Rucker is one of the best in the business at closing arguments.  He is known to stand up with a glass of clear water with a brown substance at the bottom and say “See this jar, this is like the state’s case so clear you can see through it.  Now when I sit down Mr. Defense Attorney will try to muddy the waters,” says Rucker as he shakes the jar and the water becomes clouded by mud.   “But if you focus on the evidence, by the time the defense attorney gets finished, this jar and the evidence will be just as clear as it was before he stood up.”  Observers can see the jurors watching the jar during the defense closing argument rather than paying attention to the defense attorney and sure enough when the defense attorney sat down the jar would be as clear as it was in the beginning.  Then Rucker will pound the defense with a fire and brimstones passionate closing argument that reminds the jurors of the father, son, and husband that is gone. By the end, family, jurors, and even Rucker may be crying.    

Averick Walker, a criminal defense attorney who has been trying cases in Fulton County for 19 years, thinks Rucker is the best at trying murder cases.  “He brings so many intangibles to the table,” says Walker.  Among Rucker’s qualities is his honesty.  “Clint is willing to acknowledge up front if his victim has some baggage and he will take the sting out of your cross-examination by being honest with the jury about the problems with his victims or witnesses” says Walker.Renowned Criminal Defense Attorney Bruce Harvey calls Rucker “the best unprepared lawyer in the country.”  According to Harvey, Rucker can be walking in the courtroom reading the file and try an amazing case.  “He is a remarkable trial attorney, superb on his feet with an amazing grasp of the issues involved in a case,” says Harvey. But don’t be followed by Rucker’s ability to try a case on the fly.  According to a former prosecutor who worked with Rucker in Fulton County’s Major Case Division, it is common for Rucker to stay up all night preparing his case.  He will spend countless hours on the streets finding and interviewing witnesses.  After finding his witnesses, Rucker will then spend the entire night working on his case.  

One of Rucker’s most famous victories was the 2006 conviction of James Sullivan who was sentenced to life in prison for the contract killing of his wife, Lita Sullivan.  In 2007, the Georgia General Assembly passed a resolution honoring Rucker for his prosecution of the Sullivan case.

When not prosecuting murder cases, Rucker enjoys reading, working out, and watching sports.