Why couldn't Frank Armani tell police where Susan Petz and Alicia Hauck were buried?

Law professor Lisa Lerman explains on Radiolab that everything connected to representing a client falls under a lawyer's duty of confidentiality. The exception lets a lawyer speak only to prevent reasonably certain death or substantial bodily harm. Because Susan Petz and Alicia Hauck were already dead, there was no future harm to prevent, so the rule required Armani and Belge to stay silent even while families and police searched.

• Lerman notes the current rules have developed considerably since 1973.
• Armani cited the Sixth Amendment right to counsel and the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination.

▸In their words

“Anything that is related to the representation of a client is under the confidentiality umbrella.” Lisa Lerman · at 22:16 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Radiolab (2026-10-30). Read the whole episode summary →

▸More from this episode