Summary: A former lawyer for the famous Brendan Dassey case was arrested for stalking and violating his temporary restraining order involving his law clerk.
The former lawyer for Brendan Dassey, subject of the famous true crime series Making a Murderer, is going to be needing his own lawyer. Len Kachinksy was arrested in Winnebago County, Wisconsin for stalking and violation of a temporary restraining order, according to Vulture.
A female law clerk who works with Kachinksy sought the restraining order against him after he demonstrated “erratic behavior, harassment against the clerk and subsequent retaliation against her” that have lasted for over a year. Court documents “include accusations that he made cat noises while staring at her for almost 40 minutes; seat an email that she, village administration and the police chief interpreted as a threat; continually emails her about nonwork issues; and filed letters of reprimand against her for such conduct as refusing to acknowledge or return Christmas greetings.”
Kachinsky claims the cat noises were from a toy cat. He calls their interactions as a “workplace relationship gone bad” of a “workplace personality conflict that has spun out of control.” Despite what past history there may be between him and the clerk, the temporary restraining order was issued. Kachinsky was prohibited “from having contact with his court clerk other than through work-related functions and limits communication to work topics. The order, which expires May 1, 2019, also prohibits him from having contact with his clerk, her residence, her family, or their residences in addition to mandating that a third person be present for any one-on-one meetings between Kachinsky and the clerk.”
Kachinsky has been working as a judge in the Fox Crossing Municipal Court. He was released from the jail without being charged. The Winnebago County District Attorney’s Office and the Sheriff’s Department are still investigating the matter. The Wisconsin Judicial Commission filed a complaint with the State Supreme Court.
Regarding the Dassey case, Kachinsky was removed before going to trial in 2006. He was “subsequently de-certified by the state public defender’s office for ‘deficient’ performance.” Dassey was convicted of being party to first-degree murder, mutilation of a corpse and second-degree sexual assault for the murder of Teresa Halbach on October 31, 2005. Dassy was 16 at the time of the acts his uncle committed. His videotaped interrogation and confession were used during the trial, although some courts questioned the police tactics since Dassey’s mental capacities placed in him special education classes in school for being intellectually disabled.
Kachinsky, a defense attorney at the time, was originally appointed as Dassey’s public defender. His actions, including comments and hiring another special investigator, showed he was biased against Dassey. The special investigator was hired to get another confession out of Dassey, which he did. Kachinsky allowed the police to interrogate Dassey again the next day without informing Dassey’s mother. He was not present for the interrogation. A judge eventually ruled that Kachinsky was not representing Dassey appropriately and dismissed him from the case.
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To learn more about lawyers accused of stalking, read these articles:
- New Orleans Lawyer Suspended for Stalking
- Attorney Richard S. Thompson Arrested for Stalking Ex-Girlfriend
- Lawyer Arrested for Being Too Romantic
Photo: bustle.com