Courier-Times Telegraph
June 10, 1987
Witness Says Attorneys Plied Their Influence With Feazell
AUSTIN (UPI) – A top assistant to Waco District Attorney Vic Feazell testified Tuesday that certain attorneys – accused by the government of paying bribes for special treatment- discussed cases with Feazell rather than the assistants assigned to the cases.
Deanna Fitzgerald, a first assistant to the McLennan County district attorney, told a federal court jury she became concerned when certain defense lawyers successfully convinced Feazell to dismiss charges against their clients.
“I talked to (Feazell),” Fitzgerald said, “Because he was listening too much to these whining, crying stories…not every one of their clients is not guilty.”
Fitzgerald named Ken Crow and former Feazell law associates Don Hall and Dick Kettler as the defense who frequently met with Feazell on cases that were dismissed.
The federal government alleges the attorneys were part of an “Inner circle” of lawyers who paid Feazell $19,000 in kickbacks in return for dismissing criminal charges, primarily drunken driving cases.
Crow, Hall and Kettler are expected to testify on behalf of the government with immunity from prosecution.
At issue is whether Feazell personally handled dismissal of cases in which he allegedly received kickbacks. Two assistant district attorneys have testified that they, not Feazell, dismissed certain cases. But two former assistants testified that in other cases, Feazell ordered the dismissals.
“Occasionally, Mr. Feazell would bring me cases and ask me to dismiss them,” Fitzgerald said. “He also brought me cases he thought should be filed.”
Fitzgerald said she did not question the dismissals because there was little time to do so, and she trusted Feazell’s judgment.
“When he gave me the case, I simply did the paperwork, I rarely discussed the case,” she said.
Defense attorney Gary Richardson asked Fitzgerald if other defense attorneys, whose cases are not at issue in the trial, also met personally with Feazell.
“It’s not an unusual thing to do,” Fitzgerald said. “Lots of other lawyers went to Vic, but they didn’t cause as many problems.
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