LAS VEGAS (Court TV) —In a manner as demure as Leslie Abramson's is flamboyant, another of Jeremy Strohmeyer's former attorneys took the stand Wednesday to counter charges that the admitted child murderer was coerced by his lawyers into taking a plea deal he did not want.

A day after Abramson's testy, combative testimony, a soft-spoken Richard Wright told the court largely the same thing — that after discussions with his lawyers and his family, Strohmeyer himself decided to plead guilty to avoid the death penalty. Abramson never pressured Strohmeyer, Wright testified.

"She was taking a hands-off approach to what he should do," he said.

Strohmeyer was an 18-year-old high school senior from Long Beach, Calif. in 1997 when he was charged with strangling and sexually assaulting Sherrice Iverson, 7, in a casino bathroom during a gambling trip to Nevada. His parents hired a legal team headed by Abramson. On the eve of trial, he pleaded guilty and received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

After 18 months in jail, however, Strohmeyer now wants to withdraw his plea and stand trial for murder. He alleges that Abramson lied and bullied him into the deal to save her own reputation. He claims she realized just before trial that she had misunderstood part of the Nevada law crucial to her case and, in a panic, pushed him to plead guilty. He maintains he has no memory of killing Sherrice and wants the trial to be a "search for the truth."

Ironically, if District Judge Joseph Bonaventure decides in Strohmeyer's favor, he could be putting the 21-year-old's life in danger. If Strohmeyer gets a jury trial and is convicted, he could face the death penalty.

The fear of a death sentence is what motivated Abramson and Wright to recommend a plea. They testified that there was a mountain of strong evidence against Strohmeyer and with Nevada's conservative judges, a capital sentence was a real likelihood. When the district attorney agreed to accept a sentence of life without the possibility of parole in exchange for a guilty plea, Strohmeyer's team was surprised.

With the deal in hand, the defense team analyzed the possible sentences Strohmeyer could receive and concluded that the minimum sentence likely was 75 years in prison, the maximum a death sentence. When they presented this information to Strohmeyer and his family, he decided to take the plea, both attorneys said.

On the stand Wednesday, Wright reviewed the copious daily notes he took about Strohmeyer's case. He recorded a number of conversations with Strohmeyer about the plea deal. Just two days before the plea, Wright spent two hours in a jailhouse meeting with Strohmeyer, "explaining every single issue and why no genuine" appeals were available.

In other passage, Wright recorded the reasoning Strohmeyer gave his parents for taking the deal.

"(He) explains his decision — he wants good to come of this and doesn't want embarrassment of trial for his self and family and probable death," Wright wrote.

Under cross-examination by one of Strohmeyer's two new attorneys, Camille Abate, Wright admitted that his notes contained some inaccuracies such as the times of meetings. He also acknowledged that he had been frustrated occasionally with Abramson's feisty style and had discussed that with Clark County District Attorney Stewart Bell, whom he called a friend. He further admitted that his law partner had been instrumental in Bell's election and Wright himself contributed to the campaign.

Judge Bonaventure said he planned to issue a decision Wednesday night.