 He
wasn’t the most flamboyant of judges, but state
District Court Judge Fred Edwards made a career of
presiding over many of the high-profile and complex
trials in Montgomery County.He was 63 years old.
Edwards served as Montgomery
County judge of the 9th state District Court for 20
years, until 2012, when he was defeated by Kelly
Case in the election. |
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He presided over the general
jurisdiction court, which heard cases ranging from
general civil and family law cases to massive toxic
tort litigation and capital murder cases involving
the death penalty. |
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But, Edwards was most
well-known in the legal world for his taking on
numerous complex litigation cases in his court.
These cases range from class actions such as the
notorious “phen-fen” drug litigation to
billion-dollar merger and acquisition cases such as
the one involving chemical giant Huntsman, to the
first case where cell phone technology helped
capture a wanted fugitive in the Hilton “Uncle Hilty”
Crawford kidnapping and murder case. |
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“Fred Edwards specialized in
high-profile cases,” said County Judge Alan B.
Sadler, who was one grade ahead of Edwards when both
attended Conroe High School. “Without question, Fred
was important to the legal system in Montgomery
County.” |
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Edwards was frequently sought
as a speaker at national conferences, on electronic
courts, mass dockets and the multi-district
litigation. |
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Judge Mary Ann Turner of
County Court-at-Law 4, had known Edwards for 30
years. |
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“Fred was a dear friend,” she
said. “Definitely he had our respect. He was a
trailblazer.” |
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Edwards also founded and
avidly supported the Child Advocates Program in
Montgomery County. |
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Since leaving the bench in
2013, Edwards had served as a senior judge and a
mediator and arbitrator. |
Throughout his life, Edwards
enjoyed visiting historical Texas and American
battle sites. He also played regularly with his
poker group friends of 40 years.
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Born in Cleveland, Texas, his
passion for politics and history perhaps began when
he served Congressman John Dowdy in Washington,
D.C., for one year during his high school years, and
had the fortune of being there as the Rev. Martin
Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream”
speech on the Washington Mall. He furthered his
education with a bachelor’s degree at East Texas
State University and a law degree from The
University of Houston Law Center in 1974. He managed
a thriving legal practice for 18 years. |
| Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Thursday at Metcalf Funeral Home, 1801 E. White Oak Terrace, Conroe. The funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Friday at First Baptist Church of Conroe,600 N. Main St., Conroe. |
