Trivia Junction

A Compendium of trivia I find interesting
...for the curious

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

August 1995

Kristine Eagle, a Stockton, Calif., public defender representing David Huffman in his trial for murder, had her defense ideas go out the door when her client took the stand. “I wanted someone I can have control over. I wanted to ruin someone else’s day,” Huffman said, admitting his guilt from the stand. Upon hearing his testimony, Eagle fainted and fell to the courtroom floor. (AP) ...These days, just the very idea of a person taking responsibility for his own actions is enough to completely overwhelm some people.

Kristine Eagle's statement

August 2006,

Subject: Your definition of truth

I find it offensive and just plain wrong that every time someone Googles my name, they read about the worst day of my professional life and get the impression that I am/was naive. You make money off other's misfortune and get a laugh from making your sarcastic (and by the way, untrue) aspersions about other people.

David Huffman was mentally ill and actually confessed to things he DID NOT DO. I was a young and earnest defense attorney who had been placed by my boss on a case which was beyond my skill level. I was refused help when I called for it at my office. To top it off, I had a family member die in a car accident the day before and was refused permission by the judge to join my family. My life was a pressure cooker at that moment.

I fainted because, among other things, I realized that David's agenda was to be killed by the state, a punishment for which he was not even eligible unless he lied and convinced the prosecutor that he tortured the victim in addition to killing her. The autopsy did not show evidence of the torture he "confessed" to. While it might be true that at the moment I was "overwhelmed," it was not because he was admitting he killed her. I, more than anyone, was quite aware that he would take responsibility for killing her. I fainted because he was LYING about torturing her, and trying therefore to get the death penalty.

Watching him do that was like watching a person commit suicide. Would that make you a little woozy? Perhaps you would think it was funny, or see the chance to make a joke or some money if you saw someone commit suicide. I have no shame for fainting that day.

Almost every day potential clients Google me to see what I have done professionally. More than ten years later I have to explain this incident often because of your glib throwaway comment about a situation you did not understand.

Ironic, isn't it, that you claim to tell the truth, and practically every day I have to explain why your comment about me is not true?

KRISTINE EAGLE

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