Julia Law, a 26-year-old paralegal, was found dead on May 25, 2013, in the bathtub of the Center City Philadelphia condominium she shared time in with her boyfriend and employer, criminal defense attorney A. Charles “Chuck” Peruto Jr. The Philadelphia Medical Examiner ruled the death an accident caused by alcohol poisoning, and after an eight-month grand jury investigation, the District Attorney’s office announced in February 2014 that there was “no evidence of criminal activity.” No one was charged.1Philadelphia Magazine. Grand Jury Finds No Criminal Activity in Death of Chuck Peruto’s Girlfriend Julia Law2ABA Journal. Report Finds Paralegal’s Death in Lawyer’s Bathtub Was Accidental
Who Julia Law Was
Julia “Jules” Papazian Law grew up in Absecon, New Jersey, and graduated from Holy Spirit High School, where she was on the Mock Trial team. She went on to Drexel University in Philadelphia and stayed in the city after graduation, working as a paralegal. By the time of her death, she had been at the Law Offices of A. Charles Peruto Jr. for roughly two years and was also dating Peruto; a source told reporters they had “recently began dating.”3Legacy.com. Julia Papazian Law Obituary4NBC Philadelphia. Paralegal’s Death a Mystery
How She Was Found
On the Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend 2013, Peruto’s assistant, Jaime Santisteban, went to the apartment at 2000 Delancey Street to pick up a shirt. He found Law naked and face down in a white porcelain claw-foot soaking tub on the third floor. The tub was partially drained, with about two inches of water still in it.5Philadelphia Magazine. The Dead Girl in Chuck Peruto’s Bathtub
Santisteban called Peruto around 10:00 a.m. and said there was a girl in the tub who was not moving. When Peruto told him to pull her out and wake her, Santisteban answered that he thought she was “muerta.” Peruto told him to call 911 and dialed emergency services himself. Peruto said he had been at the Jersey Shore that weekend overseeing construction on a home in Avalon and that he had been out the previous night with Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Trent Cole before crashing at a mutual friend’s house; he later said his whereabouts were confirmed by video footage from a location about 80 miles away.5Philadelphia Magazine. The Dead Girl in Chuck Peruto’s Bathtub6NBC Philadelphia. Defense Attorney Chuck Peruto Will Run as Republican for Philly DA
What Investigators Found at the Scene
Homicide detectives processed the apartment for roughly ten and a half hours. They reported no obvious signs of trauma on Law’s body, no signs of a struggle, and no drugs or alcohol at the scene. An autopsy confirmed water in her lungs. Witnesses had observed her “frothing at the mouth,” which officials said suggested a seizure.7CBS News. Seizure Likely Caused Death of Phila. Lawyer’s Girlfriend8ABC News. Death of Paralegal in Lawyer’s Tub Probed
Peruto was questioned as a witness, not a suspect. He spent about seven hours at the Homicide unit, accompanied by a brother-in-law he said was there in a family capacity rather than as counsel. He also acknowledged doing things no defense attorney would advise a client to do: he spoke to police without a lawyer and, after investigators cleared the scene, he cleaned the bathtub himself with Tilex, a job he said took about 90 minutes. He said he did it out of “dignity” and did not want a cleaning service handling it.5Philadelphia Magazine. The Dead Girl in Chuck Peruto’s Bathtub
The Cause of Death
The cause was initially listed as undetermined pending toxicology.9CBS News. Cause of Death of Phila. Lawyer’s Girlfriend Still Undetermined2ABA Journal. Report Finds Paralegal’s Death in Lawyer’s Bathtub Was Accidental10Philadelphia Inquirer. Grand Jury Looking Into Death at Lawyer’s Apartment11Philadelphia Magazine. Philly Mag Story Details Life, Loves, and Final Hours of Chuck Peruto’s Dead Girlfriend The Medical Examiner ruled the death an accident caused by alcohol poisoning.
Law enforcement officials familiar with the case said they believed Law probably drowned after suffering a seizure brought on by the alcohol in her system.10Philadelphia Inquirer. Grand Jury Looking Into Death at Lawyer’s Apartment Peruto offered another explanation: that Law had tried to pull herself out of the deep soaking tub by grabbing decorative towels on a rack above it, lost her grip, and fell back in. After the investigation closed, Peruto noted two empty half-gallon bottles of orange-flavored vodka in his recycling bin, which he said investigators initially missed.5Philadelphia Magazine. The Dead Girl in Chuck Peruto’s Bathtub
The Grand Jury Investigation
In June 2013, District Attorney Seth Williams referred the case to a grand jury after the toxicology results came back, citing circumstances he considered suspicious enough to warrant a closer look.12CBS News. Prominent Phila. Lawyer Writes Letter Urging DA to End Grand Jury Investigation Grand jury proceedings in Pennsylvania are secret, and Williams’ office declined to comment on the specifics.
Peruto pushed back publicly. In a July 11, 2013 letter to the DA, he urged a “speedy conclusion,” saying the drawn-out process was damaging his reputation and his practice.12CBS News. Prominent Phila. Lawyer Writes Letter Urging DA to End Grand Jury Investigation He later called the eight-month investigation a “witch hunt.”2ABA Journal. Report Finds Paralegal’s Death in Lawyer’s Bathtub Was Accidental
On February 12, 2014, the DA’s office released a single-sentence statement announcing that the grand jury had found “no evidence of criminal activity” in Law’s death. No charges were brought against Peruto or anyone else.1Philadelphia Magazine. Grand Jury Finds No Criminal Activity in Death of Chuck Peruto’s Girlfriend Julia Law Peruto criticized the office for not releasing the full grand jury report, saying the terse announcement left him under a “cloud,” and he said he was considering an abuse-of-process lawsuit against Williams.2ABA Journal. Report Finds Paralegal’s Death in Lawyer’s Bathtub Was Accidental
What the Investigation Never Answered
Philadelphia Magazine’s August 2013 account reconstructed some of Law’s final hours. On Friday night she was alone at Peruto’s apartment while he was at the shore. At 10:00 p.m. she texted him asking what he was doing “without bubble bath” in his house, followed by “I love my Chuckie Pie.”5Philadelphia Magazine. The Dead Girl in Chuck Peruto’s Bathtub
The magazine also reported that Law had an ongoing relationship with a prominent married Philadelphian identified only as “M.B.,” who told the magazine he had not yet spoken to police about the case.11Philadelphia Magazine. Philly Mag Story Details Life, Loves, and Final Hours of Chuck Peruto’s Dead Girlfriend The full contents of her texts in the hours before her death, and the details of that relationship, remained loose ends.
The Lifetime Movie
In October 2018, Lifetime aired a television movie titled The Girl in the Bathtub, based on Law’s death. Caitlin Stasey played Julia Law, and Jason Patric played a character based on Peruto. The film depicted the police investigation and portrayed Law as having three lovers, raising questions about possible motives.13Yahoo News. First Look at ‘The Girl in the Bathtub’14Foster’s Daily Democrat. Jason Patric Plays Reality of ‘Girl in the Bathtub’
Peruto said the movie announcement was the first he had heard of the project, and he criticized its potential for accuracy, noting that neither he nor anyone in his firm was interviewed by the production team.13Yahoo News. First Look at ‘The Girl in the Bathtub’ A Philadelphia Inquirer critic described the film as depicting the “sad, but not criminal, story of Julia Law” and recommended viewers skip it, saying Lifetime had “muddied the waters” with the dramatization.15Philadelphia Inquirer. Lifetime’s ‘The Girl in the Bathtub’ — Julia Law, Chuck Peruto