Charles Lindbergh "Chuck" McGill Jr. (17 October 1944 - 28 March 2003) was an American attorney and co-founder of the New Mexico law firm Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill (HHM). He is the older brother of criminal defense lawyer James McGill.
In 2003, after several months of declining mental health, Chuck intentionally set his house on fire and committed suicide via smoke inhalation.
Biography[]
Charles Lindbergh McGill Jr. was born in Cicero, Illinois on October 17th, 1944 to a family of Irish descent. His father, Charles McGill Sr., owned a small grocery store in Cicero and was well respected in the local community.
Chuck graduated valedictorian from Francis Xavier High School at the age of 14, making him the youngest graduate in the history of that school. He later attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center. In 1965, Chuck moved to New Mexico and co-founded the law firm Hamlin & McGill with partner George Hamlin. Chuck later married to violinist Rebecca Bois in the 1980s but the pair divorced on amicable terms in the mid 1990s.
By 1992, Chuck was an established New Mexico lawyer and co-owner of Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill with George Hamlin's son Howard Hamlin. After having no contact for five years, Chuck returned to Illinois to visit his brother Jimmy who was in jail for property damage and assault. Chuck agreed to defend his brother with the promise to never return to his con artist lifestyle. The following year Jimmy moved to New Mexico with Chuck and began working as a mailroom clerk for HHM. Jimmy would later attend an online law course through the University of American Samoa and passed the bar exam to become an officially licensed lawyer in 1998, much to Chuck's concealed resentment.
By 2001, Chuck was living a semi-recluse and claimed to have electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS). Howard permitted Chuck to work from home while Jimmy took care of his personal needs. In spite of this, Chuck was openly dismissive of Jimmy's law career due to his past as a con artist and confessed that he was proud when Jimmy was working in the mailroom.
Death[]
When Chuck's EHS symptoms reappeared one day, he removed all the appliances from his home and frantically destroyed his electric meter. Later that night, Chuck sat in the living room by his desk and kicked at the desk repeatedly until he knocked over a gas lantern causing his house to catch fire. Chuck died minutes later due to smoke inhalation. His death was initially ruled as an accident by police.
After Chuck's death, a wake was held at HHM. Howard was deeply upset about the death of his colleague, confessing to Jimmy and Kim that he believed that Chuck's death was not an accident and that he killed himself because of his forced retirement at the hands of Howard. The death of Chuck would lead to Jimmy creating his Saul Goodman persona.
In 2010, after Jimmy is arrested while living in Omaha, he confessed to his part in several crimes including responsibility to the suicide of Chuck after sabotaging his insurance. After being sentenced to 86 years in ADX Florence, Jimmy would drop his Saul Goodman and Gene Takavic identities for good, returning to his birth name.
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