Legal Ethics
Death-Row Inmate Claims Trial Judge Secretly Dated Prosecutor
Posted Jun 13, 2008, 06:20 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A Texas death-row inmate scheduled to be executed on Tuesday claims in court papers that the judge who presided at his trial was secretly dating the prosecutor.
The allegation was made in an appeal filed on behalf of Charles Dean Hood, convicted of a double murder in 1990, the Austin American-Statesman reports.
The judge, who has since retired from the bench, was Verla Sue Holland. Hood’s appeal claims she had an affair with Tom O'Connell, who was the district attorney for Collin County. Neither was married at the time.
"The wall of silence that has long protected Judge Holland must now come down," the appeal said. "An intimate relationship ... not only implies a special willingness of the judge to accept the prosecutor's representations and arguments, but also suggests extensive personal contacts beyond the confines of the courtroom."
Affidavits filed with the court said Hood’s lawyers tried to confirm an affair since the mid-1990s. They finally saw some success on June 3 when a former assistant D.A. signed a statement saying the relationship was “common knowledge” in the office.
Holland also served on the Criminal Court of Appeals, Texas’ highest criminal court, from 1997 to 2001. The American-Statesman says eight of the court’s nine current judges served with her, while the New York Times says at least seven of the judges who will hear the case served with her.
Related Stories
- DA in Cheney-Gonzales Case Shouts at Judge, Who Seeks Higher-Court Backup
Nov 21, 2008, 06:01 pm CST - Slain Judge’s Widow Speaks, Prosecutors Take Heat at Nichols Sentencing
Nov 21, 2008, 01:52 pm CST - Deputy Calif. DA is Charged in Alleged Rape of Colleague
Nov 21, 2008, 01:15 pm CST - Former Mexican Drug Czar Got $450K to Keep Traffickers Informed, Authorities Say
Nov 21, 2008, 11:44 am CST
Related Topics
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
Comments
Posted by Off2DR - 5 months, 1 week, 2 days, 21 hours, 35 minutes ago
What the prosecutor and judge do on their own time is of no concern. It doesn’t change that fact that this thug is guilty, Texas needs to get on with this one next week - a dead killer cannot harm another innocent victim - the death penalty guarantees this 100%!
Execute the guilty! Honor the victims! Educate the uninformed!
Admin
PRO Death Penalty Resource Community
http://off2dr.com
All are welcome to join us in our forums where we discuss the death penalty every day!