Posted on 10/16/2003 10:54:35 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Former Prosecutor of Jack Kevorkian Delivers Emergency Letters To Governor Jeb Bush in Terri Schiavo Euthanasia Case
ANN ARBOR, MI –Richard Thompson, responsible for the initial prosecutions of Jack Kevorkian, now Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, delivered two emergency letters to Florida Governor Jeb Bush Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, outlining the constitutional authority of the Governor to intervene in the case of Terri Schiavo, including a factual basis for initiating a criminal investigation. The letters were prepared hours after a feeding tube was removed from Schiavo, depriving her of food and water, leaving her to starve to death unless immediate action is taken.
Recognizing the emotional and political issues involved, the two letters explain that the Florida Governor has authority under the Florida Constitution to intervene, and urged him to initiate a criminal investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement based on a growing list of facts which suggest criminal wrongdoing and a conflict of interest on the part of Terri Shiavo’s husband and guardian Michael Shiavo.
Joining Thompson in the letters were former federal prosecutors Edward White III and Robert Muise. White served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, and Muise served as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Both now work under Thompson at the Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, MI. Based on the extensive law enforcement experience of the attorneys involved, the letters set forth facts and steps upon which a formal criminal investigation should be initiated.
The letters assert that the facts of the case clearly establish probable cause to initiate a formal criminal investigation, and call on the Governor to direct the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to conduct a full investigation of the facts and circumstances of the case, including securing search warrants, interviewing witnesses and medical experts, and to take measures to prevent future harm to Ms. Schiavo pending the outcome of the investigation.
Thompson noted in the supplemental letter that he was responsible for the initial prosecutions of Jack Kevorkian, and that in at least one case of physician-assisted suicide, the wife was a victim of domestic violence, and her death was used as a cover-up for the husband’s wrongdoing.
In a statement Thursday morning, Thompson urged the Florida Governor to review the letters, and take immediate steps to intervene in the case. “It seems prudent under the circumstances that the presumption for life should prevail and a formal “time-out” should take place, allowing for a formal criminal investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and allow Terri’s parents to administer the necessary rehabilitation services to determine if Ms. Schiavo is able to ingest food on her own.”
I think the injury lawsuit had a sizeable award in her name.
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