BEULAH -- Attorneys on both sides of the Joni Holbrook murder case pledge peace after a spate of finger-pointing and heated rhetoric.
Benzie Prosecutor John B. Daugherty on Wednesday issued a press release that criticized Holbrook defense attorney Jesse L. Williams. His brief statement said Williams had "his facts wrong" when he publicly accused Daugherty this week of withholding crucial investigatory documents from Holbrook's defense team.
Everything Daugherty's office receives is "promptly provided" to the defense for discovery purposes, the statement said.
But Williams said he discovered Wednesday that a staffer in Daugherty's office who was instructed to copy and provide documents to him wasn't doing it. Daugherty didn't deny the allegation.
"That could have been it," Daugherty said Thursday. "She's on vacation this week, I haven't had a chance to talk with her about it. If there was a shortfall, I apologize ... we're not trying to sandbag them or anything."
Holbrook, 47, is held on an open count of murder in the shooting death of her husband, Michigan State Police Sgt. Melvin P. Holbrook. Police believe she shot him with his service weapon as he slept in the couple's Benzie County residence Aug. 10.
Williams said he doesn't believe the oversight was deliberate, though he was upset by Daugherty's statement to area media.
"If it was inaccurate, I apologize," Daugherty said.
Despite the tit-for-tat this week, both Williams and Daugherty said they expect the case to continue without problems.
"I think Jesse Williams and I get along pretty well, and we have in the past," Daugherty said. "I expect that to continue."
Williams said he believes he now has most of the documents he needs, though he's still concerned about state police involvement in the case. He previously said the agency's investigative role represents a conflict of interest. "I don't know how many state troopers there are on this case and who they're interviewing ... I'm sort of in the dark on what they're doing," Williams said.
Holbrook's preliminary examination, held to determine if there is enough evidence to send the case to trial, is scheduled for Sept. 28.
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- Editorial: MSP shouldn't be involved
- Poll: Should MSP investigate Holbrook death?
- Lawyer: Joni Holbrook 'victim and survivor'
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