Charles Salvagio, age 66, a longtime and well-known criminal defense attorney in Birmingham, died unexpectedly on November 20, 2020 at his home. The Funeral Mass will be held at St. Paul's Cathedral on Monday, November 30th at 10:00 am with visitation beginning at 9:00 am. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to St. Paul's Cathedral, 2120 3rd Ave. No., Birmingham, AL 35203.
He is survived by his wife, Gina, his son, Salvador, and his daughter Gabriella.
Charles' life was a rags-to-riches tale. He grew up in western Birmingham and eventually was kicked out of high school. He worked as a bag boy at Bruno’s Supermarket, a door to door salesman and a disc jockey at WSGN . Ultimately, he would get his GED, and then go on to put himself through college. He took the SAT and was accepted in Harvard. “He said, ‘Gina, look at my (acceptance) letter but I cannot go. I’ve got to work and support myself. I don’t have family,’’' his wife said. “He grew up poor in his words.”
Charles worked and paid his own way through Birmingham-Southern College where he graduated with a degree in business and finance. He also worked as a computer systems analyst for Jefferson County. In the early 90s, Charles decided he wanted to become a lawyer.
“When we were dating, he said, ‘I think I want to go into law’ and I said, ‘Well you have the gift of gab,’’' Gina said. “He was a reader at our church. I didn’t know him then, but he was a great orator.”
The couple married in 1991 and Charles began to take night classes at the Birmingham School of Law. “He said a lot of prominent judges had gone through there,’' she said.
Greg Cox met Charles at Birmingham School of Law in 1992. “I considered him my best friend. We went through law school together,’' Cox said. “He had a passion early on for criminal defense, even before he took the bar exam. That’s what he wanted to do.”
Gina said that passion stemmed from his background. “He said, ‘I think my forte is going to be criminal law’ and I said, ‘Are you sure?’ I didn’t know what that paid or anything,” she said. “He said, ‘Trust me. I can relate. I grew up on the streets, my family is poor, I can relate to my clients and that’s what I want to do.’’'
Charles quit his county government job and immersed himself in law. “He said, ‘I can make my name known and I’m going to jump in it with both feet,’’' his wife said. “And that’s what he did.”
Charles graduated law school and passed the bar in 1996. Cox said Charles knocked the bar exam out of the park, scoring at least 30 points higher than what he needed to pass. “Charlie was incredibly smart, book-wise and street-wise,’' Cox said.
Early in his career, he decided to put his picture on a billboard on Interstate 59/20 near Arkadelphia Road. “That was a time when no one had billboards or commercials for law. He had to get it approved by the bar,’' Gina said. “I can’t remember what it said, but he could have quoted it word for word today.”
“If I could brag on him, I think he’s the pioneer that started all these commercials and billboards,” she said. “He kept it simple because he said he didn’t want to cause wrecks on the highway.”
Both Gina and Cox said Charles was passionate about his work. “He’d fight for you,’' Gina said. “He said, ‘I’ll go to jail for my clients if I know I’m right,’ and you know he did got to jail on something that was very disturbing, uncalled for.’'
“He wanted to tell his story about that, but his legal advisers told him to leave it alone, that it was being taken care of,’' his wife said.
Charles, his wife said, was devoted to his clients. “If he believed in you, he would represent you,’' she said. “If he didn’t, he wouldn’t take the case. He was very up front with his clients.”
“He had a heart of gold, but he was also a bulldog. It was, ‘Don’t mess with me, don’t mess with my family, don’t mess with anybody I know.’’
Charles was an animal lover. “He would not take a child or animal abuse case.’'
He loved major league baseball, even more than college football. He had a tight-knit group of friends and had a list he called almost every night on schedule. “He had a heart bigger than the Frank Nelson Building,’' Cox said. “He was generous and kind.”
“He was successful,’' Cox said “I think some people resented that but most everybody who knew Charlie liked him - 99 percent. There were some who resented his success.”
Charles was a devout Catholic, so much so that without fail, he always made the sign of the cross whenever he passed a church or an ambulance with its lights on. He wanted to write a book about his career and a reality show on him was at one point in the works. Tom Mesereau said he and Charles worked together for more than 20 years. “We immediately became best friends,” he said. “We’ve been handling murder cases in the Deep South for over 22 years. “I’m absolutely devastated. I’ve lost my best friend,” Mesereau said. “He was a great father, a great husband, a great person, a great friend and a great trial lawyer. I’m in a total state of shock.” “He was a very unique individual. He came from very humble beginnings and achieved greatness in many different ways, and he was smart enough and wise enough to appreciate all of his blessings,” Mesereau said. “He loved his family more than anything else and felt God had blessed him throughout his life. There will never be anyone like him.”
she said. “We lived a colorful life in a colorful world.
“The silver lining is he was at home, in the room he liked to wind down in’'. I wouldn’t take anything for it or do anything different.”
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