By Chuck Hustmyre
(Continued)
The day after Lacy announced the grand jury probe into the Midyette case, Boulder attorney Laurence "Trip" DeMuth III, who lost to Lacy in the 2000 district attorney's race, said, "My hope is that she's convening a grand jury so that she can squeeze information out of friends and family to be able to prove which one of these parents is responsible for this death."
DeMuth, a veteran former prosecutor who served with Lacy for 15 years when they were both deputy district attorneys, said that although Lacy has exercised poor judgment in past cases, he's willing to give her the benefit of the doubt in this case.
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| Laurence "Trip" DeMuth III |
While many have criticized the apparent lack of action in the case, DeMuth said Lacy may have legitimate reasons for the delay. "I'm glad to see that she's taking the time to do this right instead of running off half cocked and arresting people before a thorough investigation is completed."
DeMuth said a grand jury can often get reluctant witnesses to talk. "If you subpoena them to a grand jury, they've got to testify or they go to jail," he said.
Although not talking specifically about the Midyette case, DeMuth said that a district attorney who wants to dump a case can also use a grand jury for that, too. "If a case is not provable and the evidence is presented to a grand jury and the grand jury decides that there is not probable cause, it does, in some instances, get the DA off the hook."
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