Local Bar Shocked by Murder of Bradford Lawyer

The local bar was stunned by the news of the murder of Bradford County Lawyer David B. Keeffe and his wife Carol just before the Thanksgiving holiday.  It was not unusual for members of the LLA to work closely with Keeffe in matters filed in both Bradford and Lycoming Counties.  Attorney Keeffe was a talented attorney, who was well known in region and respected for his professionalism and competence.

LLA member Robert Gallagher, recalled his relationship with Attorney Keeffe, over the years, in an interview with the Williamsport Sun-Gazette.

Bob Gallagher, an attorney with Mitchell-Gallagher, Williamsport, said he had known David Keefe for 25 years, and that the man was “a lawyer of the first water.”

“He was the brightest lawyer I knew with a broad range of practice. He did everything well and conscientiously. He personified the highest ideals of the profession,” he said.

Gallagher said he heard about the murders Monday morning, and was “dumbstruck.”

“It’s something you don’t expect. It was totally inexplicable. We were usually on opposite sides, but he was always professional, above-board and honest. I just couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to do this,” he said.

Gallagher said Keeffe was always “genuinely concerned about his clients.”

“They were not just a file to him,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher recalled that when he lost his own daughter in the explosion of Flight 800 over Long Island ten years ago, Keeffe made the two hour trip to Montoursville for the viewing.

“That’s just the kind of person he was,” he said.

The members of the Lycoming Law Association extend to the family of David and Carol Keeffe a deep and heartfelt expression of sympathy.