At the conclusion of a bizarre Tuesday filled with hearings and recesses, Stolen Boy caught up with Brandon’s McInerney’s former attorney, Ventura County Senior Deputy District Attorney William “Willy” Quest, to find out his thoughts after being replaced as Brandon’s attorney.
Brandon McInerney’s family members comfort one another after court.
Q: What are your feelings on what happened today?
A: Well, we just hope that they have the best interests for Brandon, and we’ll leave it at that.
Q: Do you have any concerns at this point about Brandon’s new attorney?
I continue to have concerns.
Q: About what?
I just want to leave it at that.
Q: What was your specific opposition to the gag order request by the new defense counsel?
Well, I have ethical obligations as a member of the bar and as an officer of the court. I also have first amendment rights. So I think it was overbroad and vague. But they’re the attorneys now, and that’s the end. Okay?
Thanks Mr. Quest.
Brandon McInerney’s new attorneys hard at work.
And Willy walked off into the Ventura sunset.
And then, low and behold, the prosecutor on the case, Maeve Fox, stepped into the corridor outside of the courtroom, and we, being the vultures of the media that we are, swarmed her. And here’s what Maeve had to say:
Q: What was the In Camera hearing about?
A: It’s kind of the same thing as a reverse Marsden, where a criminal defendant has the right to have the counsel of their choosing. And a lot of times if there’s disagreement between a client and a counsel, they’ll have something called a Marsden hearing based on the case bearing that name. And I think this was a similar situation, it was just kind of in reverse. So the court wanted to make a finding, and have it on the record and sealed about whether the defendant knowingly and voluntarily decided to fire the public defender and hire new counsel. So I’m assuming that’s exactly what happened.
Q: I take it that’s what happened, but I don’t know?
A: I don’t either, because we’re not allowed to be in there.
Q: What does appointing a new defense counsel do to change the case overall?
A: Nothing as far as I can see. You know, it’s none of our business who the defendant has as their counsel. It’s purely his decision. So, it’ll slow things down a little bit, I’m sure. But, I can’t even state that really, because, who knows?
Q: What can you tell me about the new defense attorneys?
A: I don’t know anything about them.
Q: Do the new attorneys at all change the district attorney’s attitude towards prosecuting the case?
A: No.
Q: Have they contacted you about anything up to this point?
A: I’ve had some informal discussions with him, but nothing substantive.
Q: What is it on for later this month?
A: We’re coming back on the 21st just to set some dates. Maybe a prelim date. And we have a couple motions that are outstanding. But you know, counsel’s going to need some time to get up to speed on this stuff, so I’m not going to push him along when he doesn’t have any idea of what the discovery is all about.
Thank you Ms. Fox.
Brandon’s new attorneys came out of court a few minutes later and refused to comment to the press. Maybe it had something to do with the fact the media was all over Mr. Wippert about how they were going to pay for experts in his client’s trial. Maybe Mr. Wippert wants to get his feet firmly in the case, get up to speed on where they’re at, so he can speak intelligently about the case once he has. Hopefully, next week Mr. Wippert will supply answers to these and other very important questions.
