American-Statesman
June 16, 1987
Ex-prosecutor testifies Feazell asked for cut of fees
Associated Press
A former McLennan County chief prosecutor said Monday he was astounded when current District Attorney Vic Feazell asked for a share of legal fees when he got drunken driving cases dismissed or reduced.
“He told me that he wanted to participate in our fees,” testified Don Hall, who was district attorney in 1963-66 and a former law partner of Feazell. “He said he had done us a lot of favors and we had made money as a result of those favors.
“I asked him what he meant,” said Hall, who was the last scheduled government witness in the 3-week-old federal court bribery trial of Feazell, 35.
“He said he wanted a mathematical percentage of cases dismissed,” Hall said.
“I was astounded. I had never shared a fee with anyone nor had I taken one when I was in public office.”
Hall testified Feazell finally asked for one-third of the fees that Hall’s law firm received in cases where Feazell became involved in getting charges dismissed or reduced.
Hall testified that shortly before he and partner Dick Kettler became government witnesses, Feazell threatened them with state prosecution by Attorney General Jim Mattox.
Feazell is accused of taking $19,000 in bribes from a circle of Waco attorneys in exchange for dismissing charges against their clients.
Feazell has said the charges are false and were initiated by the Department of Public Safety, which he said was seeking revenge because of Feazell’s investigation into the confessions made by Henry Lee Lucas, who claimed to be a mass murderer.
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