Fayette County in general, and Glen Doneghy in particular, can be proud of Kate Dunn who led the Legal Aid defense team in the current case involving the death of Lexington Police Officer Bryan Durman.
Doneghy was convicted of manslaughter, in a case where he might easily have been convicted of murder had it not been for the excellent and capable representation he got from Dunn and her colleagues. And they are not through defending him, having filed a motion suggesting the jury's decision was not free of procedural violations. We all benefit when the law is followed and justice is served; especially in such an emotional case as this one, where a young, promising policeman died tragically,and where our community had its own rush to judgment--convicting Doneghy before hearing his side of the case.
But when the jury did hear it, reason prevailed over emotion and the verdict was fair.
(One has to wonder if the same can be said for some members of the local media who used the phrase "alleged cop killer" instead of something less pejorative!)
Meanwhile, in Florida another woman did her best to convict in another highly charged case. Nancy Grace kept telling us Casey Anthony was guilty of the murder of her daughter Cayley...long before she knew all the facts or had even heard the defense's side. (There are a number of Kentucky angles to this case, among one of the more bizarre ones being the suspicion that the dead baby's father might be from this state.)
The jury in Florida also listed to reason, not emotion, in its finding...which was very difficult for them. There was NO physical evidence linking Casey Anthony to the death of her child. That she and her family behaved abominably, and in violation of the law, did not make her guilty of murder...though the prosecutor, Nancy Grace did her best to make that case.
What you say, Grace wasn't the prosecutor? Might as well have been. She got more air time and print time than the real prosecutors--making the case against Anthony from the very start....and could possibly have poisoned the jury pool before selection.
Grace is an attorney, a member of the bar, and an officer of the court. There is no excuse for her outrageous conduct. Her rush to judgment should be investigated by her home state bar association, and disbarment proceedings considered.
Fortunately Lexington had Kate Dunn.
DS Kahn, Casey Anthony..why it's almost enough to make you believe in the presumption of innocence.
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