HOUSTON - Three lawyers representing a millionaire former bookie, who disappeared to Amsterdam in the days leading up to his June murder-for-hire trial, have renewed their efforts to get off the case.
"We are the people that turned him in when we found out he was gone ... which makes us in the end, both witness and accuser," said lead defense attorney Michael Ramsey, whose earlier request to withdraw from Robert Angleton's case was denied by U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal. "Now that it is going to be a year before he is back, we think she might reconsider her ruling."
Stanley Schneider, the only of Angleton's attorneys who hasn't requested to withdraw, said he helped inform Rosenthal that their client was missing June 12, four days before the scheduled start of his federal trial for the 1997 shooting death of his wife in their River Oaks home.
"We had an ethical duty to inform the court he was missing," Schneider said. "We performed our ethical duty to the court, but then we go forward."
Going forward with the case is something attorneys Ramsey, George Tyson and Chip Lewis don't think is proper.
"These events produced a conflict; moreover, the defendant's actions eviscerated the necessary trust between attorney and client," the three attorneys wrote in their motion to the court this week. "The defendant has anticipated our withdrawal and understands our position. (He) should be given the opportunity to add additional lawyers to his defense as he deems necessary."
A duplication of efforts would result from the exit of three of Angleton's four lawyers, Schneider said.
"I don't understand it altogether," he said of his co-counsel's renewed request. "As lawyers, we don't make facts. We deal with situations and we tell our clients' stories. It's like a doctor. Sometimes patients don't follow doctor's advice and we go on."
Angleton, 54, is accused of paying between $9,000 and $10,000 for three U.S. passports so he could flee the country. He also faces a conspiracy charge and a separate weapons charge and tax evasion charges once returned to the U.S.
"We don't want our client to do anything like this. It really hurts his case," Schneider said. "But I'm a lawyer and clients have created bad facts before. It won't be the last time."
Nancy Herrera, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Houston, said a formal extradition request has been filed in The Netherlands requesting Angleton's return. His first Dutch hearing is set for Sept. 30.
Angleton was arrested at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on June 12 with an altered U.S. passport carrying the name of Alan Edward August, according to a federal criminal complaint. He also carried $140,000 cash and a large amount of jewelry, it alleges.
Herrera said the government opposed the defense lawyers' initial request to quit the case and would not be filing a response to the newest push to exit. She said the request is "an issue between the court and defense counsel."
Angleton is accused of hiring his brother, Roger, to kill his wife, Doris. She was shot 13 times.
Both men were charged with capital murder in state court, however, Roger Angleton killed himself in jail 10 months after the shooting, shortly before the trial was to begin.
He left behind a suicide note in which he took full responsibility and said Robert Angleton was innocent.
In 1998, Robert Angleton was acquitted of capital murder charges in state court.
A federal grand jury later began investigating him and in January 2002 accused him of conspiracy to commit murder, murder-for-hire and a firearms charge.
The case drew additional attention when fledgling crime writer Vanessa Leggett was jailed in 2001 for nearly five months when she refused to surrender her research for a book she was writing about the killing to the federal grand jury investigating Angleton.
Angleton has said he is innocent.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/state/6698984.htm
"We are the people that turned him in when we found out he was gone ... which makes us in the end, both witness and accuser," said lead defense attorney Michael Ramsey, whose earlier request to withdraw from Robert Angleton's case was denied by U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal. "Now that it is going to be a year before he is back, we think she might reconsider her ruling."
Stanley Schneider, the only of Angleton's attorneys who hasn't requested to withdraw, said he helped inform Rosenthal that their client was missing June 12, four days before the scheduled start of his federal trial for the 1997 shooting death of his wife in their River Oaks home.
"We had an ethical duty to inform the court he was missing," Schneider said. "We performed our ethical duty to the court, but then we go forward."
Going forward with the case is something attorneys Ramsey, George Tyson and Chip Lewis don't think is proper.
"These events produced a conflict; moreover, the defendant's actions eviscerated the necessary trust between attorney and client," the three attorneys wrote in their motion to the court this week. "The defendant has anticipated our withdrawal and understands our position. (He) should be given the opportunity to add additional lawyers to his defense as he deems necessary."
A duplication of efforts would result from the exit of three of Angleton's four lawyers, Schneider said.
"I don't understand it altogether," he said of his co-counsel's renewed request. "As lawyers, we don't make facts. We deal with situations and we tell our clients' stories. It's like a doctor. Sometimes patients don't follow doctor's advice and we go on."
Angleton, 54, is accused of paying between $9,000 and $10,000 for three U.S. passports so he could flee the country. He also faces a conspiracy charge and a separate weapons charge and tax evasion charges once returned to the U.S.
"We don't want our client to do anything like this. It really hurts his case," Schneider said. "But I'm a lawyer and clients have created bad facts before. It won't be the last time."
Nancy Herrera, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Houston, said a formal extradition request has been filed in The Netherlands requesting Angleton's return. His first Dutch hearing is set for Sept. 30.
Angleton was arrested at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on June 12 with an altered U.S. passport carrying the name of Alan Edward August, according to a federal criminal complaint. He also carried $140,000 cash and a large amount of jewelry, it alleges.
Herrera said the government opposed the defense lawyers' initial request to quit the case and would not be filing a response to the newest push to exit. She said the request is "an issue between the court and defense counsel."
Angleton is accused of hiring his brother, Roger, to kill his wife, Doris. She was shot 13 times.
Both men were charged with capital murder in state court, however, Roger Angleton killed himself in jail 10 months after the shooting, shortly before the trial was to begin.
He left behind a suicide note in which he took full responsibility and said Robert Angleton was innocent.
In 1998, Robert Angleton was acquitted of capital murder charges in state court.
A federal grand jury later began investigating him and in January 2002 accused him of conspiracy to commit murder, murder-for-hire and a firearms charge.
The case drew additional attention when fledgling crime writer Vanessa Leggett was jailed in 2001 for nearly five months when she refused to surrender her research for a book she was writing about the killing to the federal grand jury investigating Angleton.
Angleton has said he is innocent.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/state/6698984.htm
