Following the news that Brendan Dassey’s conviction for the murder of Theresa Halbach had been overturned, the role his defence team played has been called into question.
16-year-old Brendan ended up spending over ten years in prison following a coerced confession and some indefensible behaviour from public defender, Len Kachinsky, reports Uproxx.
So to find out Kachinsky’s response to the verdict being overturned, WBAY-TV News caught up with him.
And his response was less than impressive:
In the sense that [the confession] was an instance that I preserved for appeal, before I was off the case, I was in (a) sense gratified because the fact that that was the basis for magistrate judge Duffin’s decision, it shows that I did my job.
Sorry what? You’re saying you personally ‘did your job’ in helping to get Brendan’s conviction overturned by being completely and utterly fucking incompetent? That’s one way of looking at it…
Brendan’s appeal won based on the fact that firstly, his confession was illegally obtained, and secondly, that Kachinsky ‘breached his duty of loyalty by working with the prosecution to secure Brendan’s conviction.’
Just to confirm Kachinsky’s total lack of professionalism, Judge Duffin wrote:
[Kachinsky’s] conduct was inexcusable both tactically and ethically. It is one thing for an attorney to point out to a client how deep of a hole the client is in.
But to assist the prosecution in digging that hole deeper is an affront to the principles of justice that underlie a defence attorney’s vital role in the adversarial system.
Barring an appeal of the federal ruling or retrial from the state of Wisconsin, Brendan will be a free man within the next 90 days.
But as for Len Kachinsky, rumours are there could be a pretty hefty lawsuit looming in his near future.
