Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs -> Capital Defense Weekly

Criminal Law

: Capital Defense Weekly

Rock versus hard-place: the client who wants to die

By Karl R. Keys, Esq.

Michele Anderson appears, by public accounts, to be intent on dying.  Her attorneys oppose that desire and earlier this week were let out of representing her. A woman who says she wants to be executed in the slayings of six members of her family in rural Carnation will get new lawyers, and she can keep her current attorneys’ efforts to spare her life under wraps. Michele Anderson’s public defenders asked to remove themselves from the case Monday, saying they would not help her die, while Anderson complained about them bitterly through tears. “I will not — will not — participate in what I consider to be a state-sponsored suicide by someone I consider to be mentally ill,” attorney Kevin Dolan said. Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ramsdell said there had been “a breakdown in communication” between Anderson and her attorneys and agreed to replace them by July 31...continue to full post

Full post as published by Capital Defense Weekly on July 15, 2008 (boomark / email).