Kaufman Cty TX Asst DA Mark Hasse Fatally Shot Outside Courthouse(2 CHGD)

[MuffyBee]

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/20882390/kaufman-co-worker-shot-in-front-of-courthouse
Kaufman Co. prosecutor Mark Hasse killed near courthouse
January 31, 2013

KAUFMAN, Texas (AP) -- An assistant district attorney was shot and killed Thursday morning near the North Texas courthouse where he worked, and authorities said they were searching through his cases to try to find clues about why he may have been targeted.

Mark Hasse, 57, had exited his vehicle in the parking lot behind the Kaufman County Courthouse annex and was walking toward the building when a masked gunman shot him multiple times just before 9 a.m., Kaufman County authorities said. Hasse was taken away in an ambulance, but it's unclear if he died at the hospital or en route.

Investigators were talking to witnesses and had some leads but had not arrested anyone as of Thursday afternoon, Kaufman Police Chief Chris Aulbaugh said. He urged the public to come forward with tips. The suspect or suspects were believed to have fled in a brown or silver older model Ford Taurus. Officials didn't immediately indicate any motive for the shooting in Kaufman, located about 33 miles southeast of Dallas.
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Hasse, who previously worked as an assistant prosecutor in Dallas County, had worked in Kaufman County for three years. McLelland said Hasse worked hard and took work home with him at night and on weekends. He called him the office "storyteller."

Investigators gathered in a parking lot adjacent to the annex where the prosecutor was shot. Yellow tape and law enforcement vehicles blocked the area from spectators. Aulbaugh said a $20,000 reward was being offered.

"It's going to take a long time to get over this," said Wayne Gent, an attorney whose law office is on the courthouse square. "And the thing is -- everybody's vulnerable."

Gent said he had a security system installed at the courthouse when he served as Kaufman County judge but that no system could prevent a shooting that occurs outside.

"How do you protect against that?" he asked.
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[MuffyBee]

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Craig-Watkins-shares-his-reactions-189362761.html
Reward increased to $71,150 for suspects in Kaufman County assistant DA murder
Posted February 1, 2013, Updated February 2, 2013

ALLAS –– In an interview with News 8 Friday morning, Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins shared his concerns over the lack of security for prosecutors and revealed the county's plan to match a reward in the case of the shooting death of Mark Hasse.
An assistant district attorney in Kaufman County, Hasse was fatally shot Thursday morning while outside the courthouse. The suspects fled the scene, leading to a massive search that continues.
During a morning press conference, Kaufman Police Chief Chris Aulbaugh said Hasse was shot "multiple times in the body causing his death." He would not release further information regarding his body or whether Hasse’s wallet or any other property was missing when he was found.
DPS sources confirmed to News 8 Friday Hasse was carrying a gun when he was  killed. Hasse was licensed to carry a gun as a certified peace officer. It is unclear if he attempted to use the weapon.
Aulbaugh would also not discuss particulars of the crime scene, saying releasing such details would compromise the infant investigation. Placards seen near where Hasse was gunned down Thursday did not indicate bullet fragments or shell casings, the chief added.
"Any time we process a major crime scene, placards are used to identify potential evidence," he said. "Once we release that crime scene, any evidence that remains may be questionable."
Authorities have still not released a description of the suspects. Department of Public Safety officials sent out an alert to be on the lookout for an older model Ford Taurus after the shooting. That was it, though –– Aulbaugh said if police knew the license plate number of the getaway car, it would have been released.
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While the crime hung over the city Friday, Byrnes and Aulbagh were quick to quell any speculation that this was anything but an isolated incident. Hours after the shooting, the Department of Justice issued a news release thanking Hasse’s agency for its help in an investigation into the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas gang.
Byrnes and Aulbagh said the timing of that release appears to be purely coincidental. Typically, local agencies such as Kaufman County’s DA Office will turn the case over to state and federal prosecutors, who can secure stiffer punishments.
"We have no specific information that the Aryan Brotherhood is a fact here. We have no indication that Mr. Hasse had directly worked any cases recently that were related to the Aryan Brotherhood," Aulbaugh said. However, "It doesn't rule out that someone that he had handled had involvement."
At this time, Byrnes said, there's no indication that any county workers are being targeted.
More...

Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/dallas/Dallas-DA-Watkins-apologizes-for-reporting-false-arrest-in-Kaufman-prosecutor-slaying-189446391.html
Dallas DA Watkins apologizes for reporting false arrest in Kaufman prosecutor slaying
February 1, 2013

DALLAS –– Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins has issued a statement apologizing for telling News 8 and the Dallas Morning News that someone was arrested for the murder of Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse.
"I received what I thought was credible information and regret that the source was wrong," he wrote. "In hindsight, it was inappropriate to comment and I am sorry for any confusion this caused."
Hasse was gunned down outside the Kaufman County Courthouse on Thursday. Those responsible, at least one and possibly two, are still at large. No one has been arrested.
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The Dallas County Medical Examiner is conducting an autopsy of Hasse's body. A report is not expected for eight to 12 weeks.

[klaasend]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/texas-prosecutor-killed-shot-times-courthouse-article-1.1252117


Texas prosecutor killed after getting shot five times near courthouse; two suspects at large
Mark Hasse, 57, a Kaufman County assistant district attorney, was exiting his car when he was approached by the suspects.
Comments (100)
By David Boroff / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Thursday, January 31, 2013, 12:27 PM
Updated: Thursday, January 31, 2013, 7:14 PM

 A prosecutor was killed after getting shot five times near the courthouse in a small Texas town on Thursday morning, and two suspects remain on the loose.

The victim has been identified as Mark Hasse, 57, an assistant district attorney for Kaufman County.

Hasse was exiting his car on his way to court in Kaufman, a town of fewer than 7,000, when he was approached by two suspects just before 9 a.m., the Dallas Morning News reported.

The shooting took place in a parking lot where many prosecutors and judges park. Hasse was taken away in ambulance, though it remains unclear whether he died at the hospital or en route.

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[klaasend]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/01/justice/texas-courthouse-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Attorney: Slain Texas prosecutor feared for life, brought gun to work
By Michael Martinez and Mariano Castillo, CNN
updated 10:59 PM EST, Fri February 1, 2013

(CNN) -- The Texas prosecutor shot to death in broad daylight outside a courthouse had feared for his life and carried a gun to work, according to a Dallas attorney describing herself as his friend.

Colleen A. Dunbar told CNN that she spoke with Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse on January 24, and he told her he began carrying a gun in and out of the county courthouse on a daily basis.

Hasse was gunned down in the parking lot while going to work Thursday. Investigators on Friday were reviewing his caseload for possible clues about what led to his killing.

Dunbar described Hasse, whom she had known for 31 years, as a lifelong gun owner and firearms lover.

"He told me he would use a different exit every day because he was fearful for his life," she told CNN.
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So this good guy carrying a gun was unable to protect himself likely do to the element of surprise 

[MuffyBee]

Klaas, there' a thread started in "Unsolved Crimes" on this case, so I'll merge yours with it. 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Solemn-memorial-honors-slain-Kaufman-prosecutor-190543491.html
Solemn memorial honors slain Kaufman prosecutor
February 9, 2013

TERRELL — Hundreds of people paused to remember slain Kaufman County prosecutor Mark Hasse at a memorial service on Saturday afternoon.
They shared fond memories of Hasse in and out of the courtroom.
Hasse was shot and killed on January 31 on a street near the Kaufman County Courthouse.
We've heard so much about this case, the investigation, and the continuing manhunt for the person or persons responsible.
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The reward for finding Hasse's killer now stands at $71,000, and is expected to grow.
Investigators have reviewed surveillance tape from the area, and they said they are continuing to follow up on any leads.
A number of different law enforcement agencies are working together in the search for the killer.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/ellis-kaufman/headlines/20130219-aryan-brotherhood-of-texas-is-focus-as-clues-sought-in-kaufman-prosecutors-slaying.ece
Aryan Brotherhood of Texas is focus as clues sought in Kaufman prosecutor’s slaying
February 19, 203

U.S. marshals have been fanning out across the state in recent weeks to question members of the violent Aryan Brotherhood of Texas about the killing of a Kaufman County prosecutor and other threats to law enforcement by the white supremacist gang.
Authorities are no closer to finding out who gunned down highly respected assistant district attorney Mark Hasse, but a San Antonio-based official with the U.S. Marshals Service, one of several agencies assisting Kaufman police, recently wrote in a widely circulated email, “The focus of our investigation involves the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) being responsible for the murder of the ADA.”
In December, the Texas Department of Public Safety issued a statewide bulletin warning that authorities had received “credible information” that the Aryan Brotherhood was “actively planning retaliation against law enforcement officials” who helped secure indictments in Houston against dozens of members, including the gang’s leadership.
More...

Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Investigation-Into-Kaufman-Co-Prosecutors-Slaying-Continues-191926901.html
Investigation Into Kaufman Co. Prosecutor's Slaying Continues
February 19, 2013

An old armory building that was converted into a Kaufman County Sheriff's Department training facility is currently serving as the command center for the investigation into the slaying of a county prosecutor.

Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse was shot to death in the parking lot behind the courthouse annex building on the morning of Jan. 31. Some investigators have referred to the slaying as an assassination of a public servant.

The command center serves several purposes. It allows for more coordination between the federal, state and local authorities directly involved in the investigation and serves as a warehouse for all the leads being vetted. Because it is offsite, it is not accessible to the public and should cut down on any leaks that could potentially hurt the investigation,
More...
Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Mark-Hasse-Reward-Fund-Up-to-100000-193128951.html
Mark Hasse Reward Fund Up to $100,000
Tipsters may remain anonymous
February 25, 2013

The reward offered in the murder case of slain Kaufman County assistant district attorney Mark Hasse has grown to $100,000.

Pat Laney, Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman, said so many people have donated to the Mark Hasse reward fund that it has now eclipsed six figures.
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[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/austin/kaufman-co-attorney-wife-found-dead
Kaufman Co attorney, wife found dead
Deaths follow shooting of assistant DA in January
March 30, 2013

FORNEY, Texas (KXAS) -
The Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife were found dead in their home Saturday night, police say.

Investigators with the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department confirmed the deaths to NBC 5 Saturday night, but had little else to say in the early stages of the investigation.

Police have not said when the couple was found, how they were found or if they have any leads in the case. Additionally, investigators have not yet confirmed how the couple died.

Additionally, investigators have also not said whether the murders are connected to the slaying of Kaufman County assistant district attorney Mark Hasse, who was gunned down on his way to work in January .
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To date, no arrests have been made in connection with Hasse's murder.

[MuffyBee]

I've started a thread in Unsolved Crimes for the deaths of Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia.

http://scaredmonkeys.net/index.php?topic=14194.msg1556063#msg1556063
Kaufman County DA Mike McLelland and Wife Found Slain in Home

[Amys Sister]

This is a frightening scenario... mafia-esque, highly organized.  With two DA's murdered now it could offer more clarity on who is responsible, some links between the two might surface.  The public servants/prosecutors involved with this courthouse deserve some security and protection until the perps are caught.

[texasmom]

 

[texasmom]

This is a frightening scenario... mafia-esque, highly organized.  With two DA's murdered now it could offer more clarity on who is responsible, some links between the two might surface.  The public servants/prosecutors involved with this courthouse deserve some security and protection until the perps are caught.

 

[texasmom]

http://www.kltv.com/story/21836899/report-kaufman-county-da-wife-killed

BREAKING NEWS

Kaufman County D.A. and wife found dead

Posted: Mar 30, 2013 9:49 PM CDT
Updated: Mar 30, 2013 11:45 PM CDT
By Marshall Stephens - email
and Brett Collar - email

KAUFMAN COUNTY, TX (KLTV) -
Kaufman County Public Information Officer Justin Lewis tells KLTV that Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife were found dead Saturday.

Additional Links
Police: 'We will not stop' in search for prosecutor's killers

Details on where they were found and how they died have not yet been released. The Kaufman County Sheriff's office is continuing to investigate.

WFAA in Dallas is reporting that McLelland and his wife Cynthia were found shot dead inside their Forney home on Saturday night. They also say that the front door of McLelland's home was kicked in. Currently the FBI, a U.S. Marshal's Task Force and Texas Rangers are at the scene.

Officials also said that it is not yet clear if this is related to the shooting death of former Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse. Hasse was shot in the parking lot of the Kaufman County Courthouse Annex building Thursday, January 31.

According to the Kaufman County District Attorney's web site, McLelland attended Navarro Junior College and then transferred to the University of Texas. He spent 23 years in the United States Army. McLelland and his wife have two daughters and three sons. They had been married for 17 years.

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[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/general/deputy-texas-district-attorney-wife-found-dead/nW77b/
Mayor: Deaths of Texas DA, wife 'not a random act'
March 31, 2013

KAUFMAN, Texas — Two months after one of his assistant prosecutors was gunned down, a north Texas district attorney and his wife were found killed in their home, authorities said.
The bodies of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were found in their home Saturday, Kaufman County sheriff's Lt. Justin Lewis said. Authorities would not comment on a motive.
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Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse was shot to death in a parking lot a block from his office on Jan. 31. No arrests have been made in his death
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Sam Rosander, who lives in the same unincorporated area of Kaufman County as the McLellands, told the AP on Saturday that sheriff's deputies were parked in the district attorney's driveway for about a month after Hasse was killed.
Aulbaugh said recently that the FBI was checking to see if Hasse's killing could be related to the March 19 killing of Colorado Department of Corrections head Tom Clements, who was gunned down after answering the doorbell at his home.
Evan Spencer Ebel, a former Colorado inmate and white supremacist who authorities believe killed Clements and a pizza deliveryman two days earlier, was killed in a March 21 shootout with Texas deputies about 100 miles from Kaufman.
Hasse was chief of the organized crime unit when he was an assistant prosecutor in Dallas County in the 1980s, and he handled similar cases in Kaufman County.
"Anything anybody can think of, we're looking through," McLelland said after Hasse's death.
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[MuffyBee]

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/DAs-murder-raises-fears-of-wider-plot-200782531.html
DA's murder raises fears of wider plot
March 31, 2013

FORNEY — The murders of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife are especially frightening as their deaths follow the murder of Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse just two months ago.
It raises fears that their deaths could be part of a wider plot to target law enforcement officials.
We are expecting questions at a 10 a.m. news conference to focus on whether investigators have developed any links between the cases.
Hasse was shot and killed on January 31 as he walked from his car to the Kaufman County Courthouse on the town square in Kaufman. The case remains unsolved.
Investigators — including Mike McLelland — were poring over Hasse's old cases and looking into whether or not efforts to prosecute members of the Ayran Brotherhood white supremacist gang were connected.
To this date, nothing has materialized — at least no information has been released to the public.
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Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/search-home-former-kaufman-county-justice-peace-eric-williams-mike-mclelland-mark-hasse-202764651.html
Authorities searching home of former Kaufman County judge who had deep ties to slain prosecutors
April 12, 2013

Investigators are searching the home of former Kaufman County justice of the peace Eric Lyle Williams, who has previously been questioned in the murders of District Attorney Mike McLelland, his wife Cynthia and prosecutor Mark Hasse.
Federal and local agencies, including the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department, the FBI and Texas Rangers, served the search warrant Friday at 3:30 p.m. The document is sealed. Investigators are also searching the home of a relative and the neighborhood is blocked off.
A source speaking on the condition of anonymity said authorities are searching for weapons, computer files and records.
Williams has not been charged in the murders of Hasse or McLelland.
In March 2012, Williams, 46, was convicted of theft by a public servant and burglary of a building. He was caught on courthouse surveillance coming and going from the county's IT department clutching computer monitors.
McLelland and Hasse aggressively prosecuted Williams. During the trial, Hasse hurled insults at him, calling Williams a "liar," "crooked official" and a "thief," the Forney Post reported.
Quoting from the paper, in closing arguments Hasse said: “The Defendant’s actions are incredible beyond belief and stupid. Do we really need to do an official County memo that says do not steal from the County. Do not circumvent the county’s security measures.”
During last year's corruption trial, the courthouse was on heightened alert considering Williams was in law enforcement and an elected judge. Williams is also a member of the Texas State Guard. When his vehicle was searched in the computer theft case, authorities testified they found several military-style weapons and a "considerable" amount of ammunition, the Post reported.
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In a dramatic development during Williams' corruption trial, Kaufman County Judge Bruce Wood testified that the former justice of the peace had asked him in a letter to use his influence to call off the criminal investigation against him. Wood declined.
The Post quoted Hasse as saying, "The Defendant did not ask Judge Wood to investigate to help clear this up because he is innocent. In the letter he accepts responsibility. He says I’ve done something wrong, and I’ve learned my lesson, hoping for some kind of back-door favor. He is an elected public servant and he is a thief and a liar. We ask you to find him guilty.”
During the sentencing phase of the trial, prosecutor Hasse revealed that Williams threatened to kill an ex-girlfriend in Huntsville "involving the display of a handgun," according to court records. He also threatened the life of a Kaufman attorney and his family in 2010, according to prosecutor's records.
Williams is appealing his convictions.
In Nov. 2011, Williams' attorney filed a motion to disqualify District Attorney McLelland from the case.
"The indictment of Mr. Williams was not the result of a crime having been committed as much as it was an attempt to settle a political grudge," wrote San Marcos-based Attorney David Sergi in the motion. "Mr. Williams and Mr. McLelland are political enemies, nothing more."
Last month, hours after McLelland and his wife were found murdered in their Forney home, Williams volunteered to give a swab of his hand to authorities so they could search for gun residue. He also voluntarily gave officials his cell phone.
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Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kaufmanherald.com/news/article_4cc5f508-a3c7-11e2-ab3a-0019bb2963f4.html
Law enforcement activity in housing addition continues
April 12, 2013

A taskforce looking for the murderers of Mike and Cynthia McLelland and of Mark Hasse, continue to blockade a housing addition on FM 1388 (Houston Street) just a block or so south of U.S. Highway 175.
A former publisher of The Kaufman Herald, who lives in the Wellington Addition, said that he was allowed to go to his home, but it is located "around the corner" from the law enforcement activity.
"(Law enforcement) pretty much have it buttoned up," Micahael Gresham said of the police presence.
Lt. Justin Lewis said earlier today that the taskforce was "executing a search warrant at this time in the City of Kaufman, in relation to the joint investigation.
Lewis also said rumors of more shooting are untrue and that law enforcement is "just executing the warrant," refusing to say where in the Wellington Addition.
The collaborative law enforcement effort to solve the murders is headed up by the sheriff's office, Texas Rangers, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Law enforcement has set up roadblocks near the Highway 175 service road adjacent to the Crossroads Liquor Store and at FM 1388's north side intersection with State Highway 34.
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