GUILTY TX - Kaufman Co. prosecutors Hasse, McLelland & Mrs McLelland slain in revenge plot

[momtective]

In the wake of the Assistant DA being fatally wounded this morning in Kaufman County and the suspects possibly heading into Van Zandt County, police suggested a precautionary lockdown of the schools.

http://www.kltv.com/story/20895280/some-etx-school-districts-on

 

[momtective]

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Sheriff-Kaufman-County-employee-shot-near-courthouse-189198001.html

This article says 'Mark Hasse'

Thank you for this information. RIP Mr. Hasse :rose:

 

[momtective]

Mark Hasse, a longtime prosecutor for the Dallas County District Attorney's Office and current assistant DA for Kaufman County, is the man who was shot and killed, News 8's Brad Watson has confirmed. He was a felony prosecutor who headed murder and drug cases.

http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news...County-assistant-DAs-caseload--189240031.html

 

[Cazzie]

Rest In Peace, Mark Hasse. :rose:

Blessings to his family, friends, and colleagues. :heart:

 

[fhc]

"We're very confident that we're going to find you, we're going to pull you out of whatever hole you're in, we're going to bring you back and we're going to let the people of Kaufman County prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law," McLellan said.

As of 3:30 p.m., there's been no arrest. During an afternoon press conference, Kaufman County Sheriff David Burns, District Attorney Mike McLellan and Police Chief Chris Albaugh begged the public for any information that could identify those responsible.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Sheriff-Kaufman-County-employee-shot-near-courthouse-189198001.html

and from across the pond...

Manhunt for gunmen as county prosecutor involved in Aryan Brotherhood investigation is shot dead in courtroom parking lot

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tigation-shot-dead-courtroom-parking-lot.html

 

[fhc]

http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/201...-outside-courthouse-in-downtown-kaufman.html/

UPDATE: Dallas DA Craig Watkins says arrest made in slaying of Kaufman prosecutor

Updated at 4:18 p.m.:

Debbie Denmon, a spokeswoman for DA Craig Watkins, said a “confidential source” informed the DA’s office office that an arrest had been made in the case.

But Denmon said Kaufman County officials subsequently would not confirm that an arrest was made.

“We’re going to respect their wishes” on that, she said.

 

[CJMAJORGIRL24]

"We're very confident that we're going to find you, we're going to pull you out of whatever hole you're in, we're going to bring you back and we're going to let the people of Kaufman County prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law," McLellan said.

As of 3:30 p.m., there's been no arrest. During an afternoon press conference, Kaufman County Sheriff David Burns, District Attorney Mike McLellan and Police Chief Chris Albaugh begged the public for any information that could identify those responsible.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Sheriff-Kaufman-County-employee-shot-near-courthouse-189198001.html

and from across the pond...

Manhunt for gunmen as county prosecutor involved in Aryan Brotherhood investigation is shot dead in courtroom parking lot

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tigation-shot-dead-courtroom-parking-lot.html

Now thats a statement. And fullest extent of the law in Texas means death penalty. Love this statement. My thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Hasse's family.

 

[wfgodot]

UPDATE: Kaufman police chief says Craig Watkins ‘made a mistake,’ no arrest made in Mark Hasse’s killing (crimeblog.dallasnews.com)

Update at 5:04 p.m. from Ray Leszcynski: Kaufman Police Chief Chris Aulbaugh, County Sheriff David Byrnes and District Attorney Mike McLelland took a break from their own press conference to look in to media reports that an arrest had been made in Dallas.

“There has not been an arrest made yet on this offense,” Aulbaugh said upon reconvening. “Our DA has been on a phone call to the Dallas DA’s office.

McClellan said apparently, Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins was doing an interview and inadvertently referenced that there had been an arrest made in the shooting of Mark Hasse.

“He made a mistake during that interview,” McLellan said.
---

hmm....

 

[AnaTeresa]

I'm always worried about something like this happening. Frankly, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more, given the types of people some prosecutors put away.

I'm glad it sounds like LE are on top of things with this case, even if arrests haven't been made yet. I hope this one is able to move quickly.

 

[momtective]

UPDATE: Reward fund in Kaufman Co. shooting now stands at $64,500

http://www.kiiitv.com/story/20882868/kaufman-county-employee-shot-near-courthouse

The Texas Rangers, the FBI and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have joined the manhunt, and "we are in the process of running down many leads right now," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/31/justice/texas-courthouse-shooting/index.html

 

[Reader]

Mark Hasse, 57

Texas prosecutor's slaying rattles colleagues

http://www.centurylink.net/news/read.php?rip_id=<[email protected]>&ps=1011&page=1

KAUFMAN, Texas (AP) — Mark Hasse was a top-notch prosecutor in northeast Texas with a "passion for putting away bad guys" and never shied from taking on cases involving dangerous people or organizations, his former colleagues said.

Now investigators are sifting through Hasse's case files searching for clues as to why the assistant district attorney was targeted by a masked gunman who fatally shot him Thursday morning in a brazen attack outside his office in the Kaufman County Courthouse.

The slaying rattled prosecutors across the state and angered those who worked with him in Kaufman, located 33 miles southeast of Dallas.............

McLelland said Hasse, 57, understood and accepted the dangers of his job.

"You know there is the potential for somebody bad to do something to you, because they've done something bad to somebody else," McLelland said...........

Wayne Gent said he had a security system installed at the courthouse when he served as Kaufman County judge, but that no system could prevent an outdoor shooting.

"It's going to take a long time to get over this," said Gent, an attorney whose law office is on the courthouse square. "And the thing is — everybody's vulnerable."............

Hasse, who had been chief of the organized crime unit when he was assistant prosecutor in Dallas County in the 1980s, had worked in Kaufman County for three years. McLelland said Hasse worked hard and was the office "storyteller"..............

He also had been president of the Dallas chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Suzette Pylant, a victim advocate for MADD North Texas, was working with Hasse on a drunken driving case at the time of his death, The Dallas Morning News reported. She last met with him on Dec. 21.

"He was one of those guys who was always going to wear the white hat," she told the newspaper.

More at link.....

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Attorney: Slain Texas prosecutor feared for life, brought gun to work

The Texas prosecutor shot to death in broad daylight outside a courthouse had feared for his life and carried a gun to work, according to a Dallas attorney describing herself as his friend.

Colleen A. Dunbar told CNN that she spoke with Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse on January 24, and he told her he began carrying a gun in and out of the county courthouse on a daily basis.

Hasse was gunned down in the parking lot while going to work Thursday. Investigators on Friday were reviewing his caseload for possible clues about what led to his killing.
Dunbar described Hasse, whom she had known for 31 years, as a lifelong gun owner and firearms lover.

"He told me he would use a different exit every day because he was fearful for his life," she told CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/01/justice/texas-courthouse-shooting/index.html

 

[mysteriew]

Attorney: Slain Texas prosecutor feared for life, brought gun to work

The Texas prosecutor shot to death in broad daylight outside a courthouse had feared for his life and carried a gun to work, according to a Dallas attorney describing herself as his friend.

Colleen A. Dunbar told CNN that she spoke with Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse on January 24, and he told her he began carrying a gun in and out of the county courthouse on a daily basis.

Hasse was gunned down in the parking lot while going to work Thursday. Investigators on Friday were reviewing his caseload for possible clues about what led to his killing.
Dunbar described Hasse, whom she had known for 31 years, as a lifelong gun owner and firearms lover.

"He told me he would use a different exit every day because he was fearful for his life," she told CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/01/justice/texas-courthouse-shooting/index.html

That makes it sound like he had been threatened recently. And that he thought the threat was credible.

I have to believe that under those circumstances he would have told someone who made the threat. Which means LE most likely knows, but just aren't talking about it until they have enough evidence to arrest them.

 

[CocoChanel]

I really don't think this murder was done by the Arayan Brotherhood of Texas gang.
That would be an extremely foolish high risk hit for them.
i think that focusing on the ABT by trying to connect them to this crime is a good thing in that it will turn over other rocks they hide under and expose them further to LE, but I don't see their involvement here.
I think the answer probably does lie somewhere in the case load files of the DA.
I hope and pray it can be found.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Reward Raised to $70,000

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/prosecutor-mark-hasse-killing-reward-raised/t/story?id=18387111

 

[Lois Lane]

Funeral services scheduled for slain Kaufman County ADA Mark Hasse

Funeral services have been planned for Mark Hasse, 57, the Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney who was attacked and murdered last week. The funeral services will be held at Terrell ISD's Performing Arts Center at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 9. TISD's PAC is located at 400 Poetry Road in Terrell, Texas.

At noon today, February 4, Mark Hasse was commemorated in a flag ceremony with the U.S. Honor Flag. The U.S. Honor Flag flew into DFW and was escorted to Kaufman County under a full police escort motorcade by several North Texas Law Enforcement agencies. The flag will be displayed for 25 hours in commemoration of Hasse's 25 years of service as a prosecutor for numerous Texas counties. Police Honor Guards will be posted for the duration of those 25 hours.

http://inforney.com/home/local-news...duled-for-slain-kaufman-county-ada-mark-hasse

Video report at this link:

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/video/83233...of-murdered-prosecutor/#.URBX_zExwd4.facebook

The Honor Network is a 501.C.3 non-profit organization dedicated to memorializing those Heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for their family, community and country. It also serves to foster education of the American public regarding all Heroes, past and present, and their organizations, including police, fire, and our nation’s military.

http://www.ushonorflag.org/

 

[Lois Lane]

There have been no arrests in the case, but authorities investigating the murder said Monday they have many leads.

They still hope the $71,500 in donated reward money will help attract the information that leads to a suspect.

“We’re probably in the elimination stage,” said Kaufman County Sheriff David Byrnes. “We’re trying to eliminate a lot things, the minutiae that’s always there with these kind of things, and we’re moving forward with that and we’ll continue to do that.”

New fax lines were added Monday at the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Training Center, a former armory that’s become the base of operations for state and federal investigators joining the Hasse murder case.

Byrnes said he’s had personal conversations with top officials in Austin and Washington, D.C.

“Anything we need, they will make available to us,” Byrnes said.

More, including video, at the link:

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/US-Honor-Flag-Flies-in-Kaufman-for-Slain-Prosecutor-189748951.html

Kaufman County Sheriff David Byrnes is a retired Captain with the Texas Rangers.

 

[Reader]

Texas prosecutor's tough, softer sides recalled

http://www.centurylink.net/news/read.php?rip_id=<[email protected]>&ps=1011

TERRELL, Texas (AP) — A Texas prosecutor gunned down outside his courthouse office last month was remembered Saturday for his zealousness in pursuing tough cases, love of flying and ability to tell stories.

Hundreds turned out in a school auditorium to celebrate the life of Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse during a 90-minute memorial service that included stories about the veteran prosecutor's tough and softer sides as well as vows to catch his killer.

Hasse, 57, was shot multiple times the morning of Jan. 31 while walking from his car in a parking lot about a block from the courthouse. The brazen crime has sparked an investigation that includes both local and federal authorities, many of whom attended the Saturday ceremony.

Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland described how Hasse, who wasn't married and had no children, never backed away from anything while often telling stories that brought laughter heard throughout the courthouse.............

The slain prosecutor's brother, Paul Hasse, also mentioned the search for the gunman.

"You honor him by the massive effort you are making to find out who did this," he said.............

Cooke County DA Janice Warder, another former colleague from Hasse's Dallas days, recalled working with the prosecutor before computers put information at their fingertips. When questions would emerge from complicated autopsy reports or engineering documents, Hasse would have the answers, she said.

"Before there was Google, there was `Ask Mark,'" Warder said.

Above all else, Hasse was "ruthless when it came to fighting evil," she said...........


Rest in Peace, Mark Hasse

 

[fhc]

http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/201...-kaufman-county-assistant-da-now-100000.html/

Reward in murder case of Kaufman County assistant DA now $100,000

 

[GulfCoastKAT]

He sounds like a great guy and prosecutor.