Lance Cronyn

Lance Cronyn is a former attorney in private practice in Los Angeles. Cronyn is married to Kathy Cronyn, also an attorney, and they operated the practice together. His practice consisted largely of criminal defense cases. He represented Lucas Olmer who was on trial for rape and murder. During the Olmer trial Cronyn requested and was given some of the DNA sample collected by the police at the murder scene. Cronyn thought that he might have his own DNA analysis conducted in order to challenge the prosecution's case. However, the DNA evidence was never pursued, and Cronyn kept the sample in his files. Olmer was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

After Olmer died in prison, Cronyn came across the DNA specimen again and began to develop a scheme in which he might make use of it. He contacted Preston Borders, a man who had been convicted of crimes similar to Olmer's. Through his wife, Cronyn engaged in a conspiracy with a LAPD property control officer, Terrence Spencer, to plant Olmer's DNA in the box of evidence from the Borders trial. Cronyn then asked for a new analysis of the evidence, which revealed Olmer's DNA and appeared to clear Borders. Cronyn's scheme included the allegation that Harry Bosch had planted other evidence to frame Borders in 1988. In addition to securing Borders' release, Cronyn hoped to obtain a large monetary settlement from the city of L.A. for wrongful prosecution. Such a settlement would also make Cronyn famous.

Borders' release was supposed to happen during a habeus corpus hearing before Judge Houghton. However, Cronyn's conspiracy unraveled when Mickey Haller (representing Bosch) revealed the connection between the Cronyns and Spencer. Cronyn and his co-conspirators were arrested and presumably prosecuted for their crimes.