Terra Morehead, a former county and federal prosecutor, has agreed to surrender her law license ahead of disbarment procedures following her involvement in framing an innocent man, a move that marks a rare downfall for a legal professional and a significant moment in the ongoing scrutiny of prosecutorial conduct.
In the 1990s, as a Wyandotte County prosecutor, Morehead was implicated in the wrongful conviction of Lamonte McIntyre for a double homicide. McIntyre, who was only 17 at the time of his conviction, spent 23 years in prison before his release in 2017 when the district attorney declared his conviction a “manifest injustice.” The exoneration was a direct indictment of Morehead’s prosecutorial tactics, which included presenting no physical evidence and relying on the testimony of a witness who later recanted her statement.
The witness, Niko Quinn, alleged that Morehead threatened to jail her and take away her children if she did not falsely testify. Furthermore, Morehead failed to disclose a past romantic relationship with the presiding judge in the case, which could have been a significant conflict of interest. Quinn expressed relief at the actions being taken against Morehead, saying, “This is the beginning of my dreams,” with the apparent hope that justice would be served not just for McIntyre, but for herself and the broader community affected by such misconduct.
Compounding the situation, Morehead also faced allegations of ethical breaches during her later tenure at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Kansas. In 2017, U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson overturned a defendant’s conviction on drug charges, harshly criticizing Morehead for violating the defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial by “substantially interfering with a defense witness’s decision to testify.”
The Kansas Board for Discipline of Attorneys has recommended that the Kansas Supreme Court accept Morehead’s license surrender, a preliminary step before formal disbarment, according to recent court filings. This recommendation came after a federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, the findings of which have not been disclosed. The Kansas Supreme Court is expected to follow standard practice and issue a formal disbarment.
Meanwhile, Roger Golubski, the disgraced former Kansas City, Kansas Police detective who built the case against McIntyre, faces his own legal troubles with a federal trial on charges of civil rights violations against several Black women and protecting a drug dealer involved in sex trafficking. His actions, along with Morehead’s, have been cited in a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Unified Government alleging a “police protection racket” targeting the Black community.
Relevant articles:
– Kansas prosecutor who framed innocent man surrenders law license, will soon be disbarred
– Kansas prosecutor surrenders law license, Iola Register, Thu, 18 Apr 2024 19:17:18 GMT
– Notorious Kansas prosecutor accused of ethical breaches is surrendering her law license, KCUR, Wed, 17 Apr 2024 09:00:00 GMT
– Gov. Laura Kelly says she’s not trying to recruit the Chiefs to Kansas, HPPR, Thu, 18 Apr 2024 18:59:00 GMT