District Attorney Linda Stanley wants to finish term after disbarment ruling, may appeal
FREMONT COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley and her attorney are considering appealing after the state disciplinary board ruled to disbar her in the next 35 days. Stanley, led the botched prosecution of Barry Morphew, in the murder of his wife Suzanne.
In an 83-page order, state disciplinary judges ruled that Stanley made at least three inappropriate statements to the media during the Morphew prosecution, failed to supervise the case, and opened a retaliatory criminal investigation into the judge over rulings he made against her team. Stanley ultimately dismissed the murder charge against Morphew.
The state judges also found Stanley violated ethical attorney rules when she interviewed with KRDO13 Investigates about previously accused baby killer, William Jacobs.
In that interview, Stanley said "I'm going to be very blunt here. He has zero investment in this child. Zero. He's watching that baby so he can get laid. That's it. And have a place to sleep. I'm sorry to be that blunt, but honest to God, that's what's going on."
According to her attorney, despite the disbarment ruling, Stanley wants to finish her term as district attorney, which expires in January. If Stanley is disbarred, the governor will appoint someone to fill the district attorney role until the next elected district attorney, Jeff Lindsey, takes office in January.
"We very much disagree with the conclusion that disbarment is appropriate. Ms. Stanley is a good person and ethical attorney," her attorney Steven Jensen told KRDO13 Investigates over the phone. "We think the dissenting opinion of the board member is better reasoned."
In a dissenting opinion, the dissenting judge said they believed a two-and-a-half-year suspension of Stanley's law license was more appropriate.
Jensen says they are still navigating the appeal process and determining if Stanley wants to appeal. If they file an appeal, her attorney hopes Stanley can continue practicing law until the appeal is heard. The Office of the Attorney Regulation Counsel says Stanley has the right to an appeal. However, to keep her license during an appeal she would need to file a stay and the state board would need to approve it.
Stanley's attorney noted that he was a prosecutor for 35 years and he believes the state discipline authorities have a double standard for prosecutors.
The state disbarment ruling says that Stanley is required to pay for the costs of the disciplinary trial. It's unclear how much that will cost, but KRDO13 Investigates has found that Stanley has paid her attorneys tens of thousands of dollars with checks from her District Attorney's Office.
Jensen said he wasn't sure if Stanley plans to pay any of the fees with her personal money, but notes there is a law that allows elected officials to be reimbursed for reasonable expenses related to their job.
We reached out to Stanley independently for comment, but have not yet heard back.
If you have a tip or lead you want our team to investigate, email us at 13Investigates@krdo.com.
