ST. LOUIS — The presiding judge in St. Louis is asking St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner to explain how dozens of cases – including murder trials – are going to be handled after the lead attorney on the cases suffered a seizure in court.
In a letter sent to Gardner and the public defender’s office Friday, Judge Elizabeth Hogan noted the attorney in question has 13 murder cases already set for trial and 73 other cases assigned to him that are in various stages of discovery.
This was the attorney’s third medical incident in less than a year, according to the letter.
“While the court certainly does not fault him personally for this situation, it is a fact that his medical issues have already caused delays in reaching dispositions in his cases,” according to a copy of the letter obtained by the I-Team. “Further, almost all of the defendants on his cases are confined. As a result, both victims and defendants are being prevented from having their day in court.”
Gardner issued a statement, which read: "The CAO has appropriate resources to work with the courts to ensure all cases are handled properly. We are confident that we can cover all cases with the leadership of our Chief Trial Marvin Teer. In every case, the Circuit Attorney's Office is dedicated to ensuring that the office carries out its duty to prosecute criminal cases in a manner that seeks justice on behalf of the residents of the City of St. Louis."
The attorney had to be removed from the courtroom by paramedics and taken to the hospital earlier this week.
Almost all of these cases the attorney was overseeing are class A felonies, according to the letter.
“It is imperative that we find a way to move these cases forward," Hogan wrote. "Toward that end, I am asking that you please inform me who will be assigned to handle his trials and who will be assigned his caseload while he recovers."
Court spokesman Joel Currier told 5 On Your Side the assistant prosecutor was sitting at a counsel table Tuesday during jury selection on a double murder case when he began experiencing a seizure and fell to the floor. Paramedics were called and he was taken to the hospital.
Currier did not know his current condition.
A list of the attorney's cases included with the letter show the majority of the 73 pending felony cases were filed between 2021 and this year. One dates back to 2018 and another to 2014.
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