PD says he fears arrest before triple murder case concludes
The chief public defender in Danbury, Conn., told a judge Tuesday that he fears being arrested before he can conclude his defense of convicted triple murderer Richard Roszkowski.
Public defender Michael Courtney asked a judge to excuse him from continuing to represent Roszkowski, who was convicted in 2009 of shooting and killing his former lover, her daughter and a landscaper, the Connecticut Post reports. Roszkowski received the death penalty, but he won a new hearing on his sentence. That hearing was underway this week.
Judge John Blawie refused Courtney’s request and ordered him to continue representing Roszkowski, the story says.
Courtney told Blawie he feared arrest after revelations the public defender had contacted a man in the witness protection program to be a witness for Roszkowski. The witness had occupied a cell next to Roszkowski.
“My weekend was ruined because I was worried about being arrested,” Courtney said. “I can’t sleep at night because I don’t know what [prosecutors] are going to cook up, and that’s not fair to my client.”
