TX - Moriah Wilson, Cyclist Fatally Shot Before Race, Austin, #4

[Mrspratcher]

State pays.

Via taxpayers and indigent defense funds collected via annual attorney bar dues.

 

[Seattle1]

GOVERNMENT CODE

TITLE 2. JUDICIAL BRANCH

SUBTITLE F. COURT ADMINISTRATION

CHAPTER 79. TEXAS INDIGENT DEFENSE COMMISSION

SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Sec. 79.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
(1) "Assigned counsel program" means a system under which private attorneys, acting as independent contractors and compensated with public funds, are individually appointed to provide legal representation and services to a particular indigent defendant accused of a crime or juvenile offense.
(2) "Board" means the governing board of the Texas Indigent Defense Commission.
(3) "Commission" means the permanent standing committee of the council known as the Texas Indigent Defense Commission.
(4) "Contract defender program" means a system under which private attorneys, acting as independent contractors and compensated with public funds, are engaged to provide legal representation and services to a group of unspecified indigent defendants who appear before a particular court or group of courts.
(5) "Council" means the Texas Judicial Council.
(6) "Crime" means:
(A) a misdemeanor punishable by confinement; or
(B) a felony.
(7) "Defendant" means a person accused of a crime or a juvenile offense.
(8) "Executive director" means the executive director of the Texas Indigent Defense Commission.
(9) "Indigent defense support services" means criminal defense services that:
(A) are provided by licensed investigators, experts, or other similar specialists, including forensic experts and mental health experts; and
(B) are reasonable and necessary for appointed counsel to provide adequate representation to indigent defendants.
(10) "Juvenile offense" means conduct committed by a person while younger than 17 years of age that constitutes:
(A) a misdemeanor punishable by confinement; or
(B) a felony.
(11) "Managed assigned counsel program" has the meaning assigned by Article 26.047, Code of Criminal Procedure.
(12) "Office of capital and forensic writs" means the office of capital and forensic writs established under Subchapter B, Chapter 78.
(13) "Public defender's office" has the meaning assigned by Article 26.044(a), Code of Criminal Procedure.

GOVERNMENT CODE CHAPTER 79. TEXAS INDIGENT DEFENSE COMMISSION

 

[Mrspratcher]

I question the indigence. With the escalation of real estate prices in Austin, she may not be a millionaire if she sells her Austin properties but it could be a tidy sum.

Also, why would her expensive attorney have agreed to represent her? I can't see him going pro bono or taking a state-paid rate.

Unless she's planning to plea out, avoiding a trial.

But IANAL!

Free worldwide publicity. Think Jose Baez. Never heard of him before Casey’s trial.

 

[Mrspratcher]

Here are the fee guidelines in Travis County for private court-appointed counsel:

https://www.traviscountytx.gov/images/courts/Docs/2022_Felony_Fee_Schedule_04-08-22.pdf

Edited to fix typo.

 

[Sundog]

Not sure how it works in Texas. But it’s not just a public defender that can represent indigent defendants. There are private attorneys that contract with the state to provide their services at a discounted rate.

For all we know her current attorney may be court appointed. I agree she shouldn’t be able to hand pick.

Yes, from what I am reading in the document linked below, her attorney is likely a private attorney on the list of court-appointed attorneys in that county, perhaps based on complexity of case and degree of the charge. Just my interpretation of the document linked below.

Info on indigent legal representation in Travis County, Texas

View Indigent Defense Plan

Here are guidelines for fee schedule for attorneys representing approved indigent clients in Travis County, Texas.

Fee schedule guidelines for attorneys representing indigent clients in Travis County, Texas

http://tidc.tamu.edu/IDPlanDocuments/Travis/Travis%20District%20and%20County%20Court%20Attorney%20Fee%20Schedule.pdf

 

[Gypsy Road]

I looked at KA records and properties. It appears she put very little down and mortgaged the rest. From memory - one of her houses she mortgaged almost $420,000 after putting only $4,000 down. I’m not sure she has much equity built up.

 

[Seattle1]

Not sure how it works in Texas. But it’s not just a public defender that can represent indigent defendants. There are private attorneys that contract with the state to provide their services at a discounted rate.

For all we know her current attorney may be court appointed. I agree she shouldn’t be able to hand pick.

Last fiscal year, there were roughly 474,000 indigent cases in Texas. There are 19 public defender's offices, which 39 counties rely on in some capacity, but the majority of counties contract with private lawyers, who are generally paid a modest flat fee per case.


Travis County, (where KA was booked), has a limited public defender program — it serves juveniles and some mentally ill defendants — but relies primarily on a system of managed assigned counsel, in which an independent office assigns cases to a rotating cast of more than 200 private lawyers.

The "rotating cast" system for being assigned a private lawyer is supposed to prevent the defendant from hand picking her choice of attorneys such as Cofer or Howard, the two private attorneys that earlier filed appearance notices in US District Court.

How judicial conflicts of interest are denying poor Texans their right to an effective lawyer

For decades, Texans who can’t afford a lawyer have gotten caught in a criminal justice system that’s crippled by inadequate funding and overloaded attorneys. A growing body of caseload data — and a recent lawsuit — point to an even more fundamental hazard: the unchecked power of Texas judges.

www.texastribune.org

 

[Seattle1]

I looked at KA records and properties. It appears she put very little down and mortgaged the rest. From memory - one of her houses she mortgaged almost $420,000 after putting only $4,000 down. I’m not sure she has much equity built up.

Agree. Her holdings are tiny-- a couple of 1,100 sq ft residences acquired in 2021. We calculated this in the previous thread and estimated KA might have $75K equity total-- in her real estate portfolio including her 50% interest in the Caldwell County property.

 

[Gypsy Road]

Last fiscal year, there were roughly 474,000 indigent cases in Texas. There are 19 public defender's offices, which 39 counties rely on in some capacity, but the majority of counties contract with private lawyers, who are generally paid a modest flat fee per case.


Travis County, (where KA was booked), has a limited public defender program — it serves juveniles and some mentally ill defendants — but relies primarily on a system of managed assigned counsel, in which an independent office assigns cases to a rotating cast of more than 200 private lawyers.

The "rotating cast" system for being assigned a private lawyer is supposed to prevent the defendant from hand picking her choice of attorneys such as Cofer or Howard, the two private attorneys that earlier filed appearance notices in US District Court.

How judicial conflicts of interest are denying poor Texans their right to an effective lawyer

For decades, Texans who can’t afford a lawyer have gotten caught in a criminal justice system that’s crippled by inadequate funding and overloaded attorneys. A growing body of caseload data — and a recent lawsuit — point to an even more fundamental hazard: the unchecked power of Texas judges.

www.texastribune.org

Thank you! You are always educating me and others on new things here.

 

[SM79]

RSBM for focus.

This might be the surgeon.

Dr Andres Castrillon

Dr Andres Castrillon

drandrescastrillon.com

At least he appears to be the primary surgeon at Ava in San Rafael de Escazu, as shown in the cosmetic surgery “receipt”, if the receipt is legitimate.

Yoga teacher 'traveled on sister's passport and had PLASTIC SURGERY'

Kaitlin Armstrong, 34, likely traveled to Costa Rica using her sister's passport and possibly underwent plastic surgery while on the run. Two US passports were found amid her belongings.

www.dailymail.co.uk

There is a reason she kept the receipt... what does everyone think that would be? To explain why she doesn't match biometric data on the false passport? Some other reason? Otherwise, she would just be saving evidence that could be found and used against her. Given how well she did at getting away, you would think that she wouldn't want to keep around any evidence unless she had some other explanation for it... just my thoughts today...

 

[SM79]

So she gets to pick the best defense attorney in Texas and tax payers then get to foot the bill? How come she isn’t appointed a public defender?

I'm confused about various people saying that this attorney is "high-priced" or "best defense attorney in Texas"... looking at him and his website, I find this hard to believe (in fact, when I first heard who she was using to represent her, I was shocked given the nature of the case against her).

I don't know how it works in Austin, TX (each state/jurisdiction is different). There often aren't enough funds/public defenders out there to support the needs and it appears that there is a system in place for the state to lean on private attorneys to provide representation (much like a public defender, but instead someone in private practice).

 

[Gypsy Road]

I have no idea why that woman saved the receipt from the cosmetic surgery center, but how embarrassing for her now!

 

[Gypsy Road]

I'm confused about various people saying that this attorney is "high-priced" or "best defense attorney in Texas"... looking at him and his website, I find this hard to believe (in fact, when I first heard who she was using to represent her, I was shocked given the nature of the case against her).

I don't know how it works in Austin, TX (each state/jurisdiction is different). There often aren't enough funds/public defenders out there to support the needs and it appears that there is a system in place for the state to lean on private attorneys to provide representation (much like a public defender, but instead someone in private practice).

He may not be the best defense attorney in all of Texas, but he’s a top attorney for sure. Look at the cases he’s won, and all the awards, and the fact that he was able to get 94% of his cases thrown out of court since 2019. He’s no slouch.

Top Rated Austin, TX Criminal Defense Attorney | Rick Cofer | Super Lawyers

Rick Cofer is one of the top rated Criminal Defense attorneys in Austin, TX. He has met the stringent Super Lawyers selection criteria.

profiles.superlawyers.com

 

[Missing Susan]

There is a reason she kept the receipt... what does everyone think that would be? To explain why she doesn't match biometric data on the false passport? Some other reason? Otherwise, she would just be saving evidence that could be found and used against her. Given how well she did at getting away, you would think that she wouldn't want to keep around any evidence unless she had some other explanation for it... just my thoughts toda

Yes it was more of a "doctor's note" for getting out of work, school, jury duty, etc. (as opposed to a receipt for financial records, taxes, reimbursement for whatever reason, etc)

The passport number being specified make your thoughts likely to be true. "listen, passport inspector, my face has been rearranged, please let me through/give me a new passport reflecting the new me."

The surgical center is sort of drawn into the fraud as they are giving credence that they worked on a patient named such and such with this specific passport #. I wonder what the suspect asked or how she explained that she needed such a letter. Who ever wrote the letter had to beleive the patient and the passport were a match, somehow.

Letter could be a forgery, as well?

 

[Sundog]

There is a reason she kept the receipt... what does everyone think that would be? To explain why she doesn't match biometric data on the false passport? Some other reason? Otherwise, she would just be saving evidence that could be found and used against her. Given how well she did at getting away, you would think that she wouldn't want to keep around any evidence unless she had some other explanation for it... just my thoughts today...

Possibly because of the biometric data. Can't think of any other reason, unless something went wrong/reaction or something, and she needed to go back there, she would have a record that they provided the surgery. She did have a locker that was locked, so probably thought her paperwork was safe.

 

[SMK777]

I looked at KA records and properties. It appears she put very little down and mortgaged the rest. From memory - one of her houses she mortgaged almost $420,000 after putting only $4,000 down. I’m not sure she has much equity built up.

Do you still have the link for that? I know you posted it, but when I search for it in Websleuths, it’s not loading….

 

[RickshawFan]

I looked at KA records and properties. It appears she put very little down and mortgaged the rest. From memory - one of her houses she mortgaged almost $420,000 after putting only $4,000 down. I’m not sure she has much equity built up.

When did she buy it?

 

[Gypsy Road]

When did she buy it?

May 2021

 

[Gypsy Road]

Do you still have the link for that? I know you posted it, but when I search for it in Websleuths, it’s not loading….

I don’t have a link because it’s site I have to use a password and that I pay for, but here’s a screen shot. I didn’t capture the address though and my numbers from memory were slightly off, but still - I doubt she has much equity

 

[SMK777]

I don’t have a link because it’s site I have to use a password and that I pay for, but here’s a screen shot. I didn’t capture the address though and my numbers from memory were slightly off, but still - I doubt she has much equity

Thanks very much!