Easterling's Transcript
Meeting Date: July 28, 1998
Persons Present: Gina, Lavern, and Danny Easterling
Meeting Place: The Office of Danny Easterling
The walk-in conversation consists of Danny asking Lavern if she has spoken to
Windeon’s lawyers. The walk-out conversation is Danny speaking about the baby.
The Tape
Danny: Where do you all want to start?
Laverne: First thing I want to ask is when was the last time you talk to or saw Shaun?
Danny: No. I got a phone call from him, I want to say, about 2 weeks ago. I talked
for about a full 20 minutes. He wanted to make sure I was going to meet him before
his court date. He told me he had been going to the law library.
Gina: Mr. Easterling what I’m concern about is why is it that you only see him until a
couple of days before his court date?
Danny: Because I’m a lawyer and not a baby-sitter.
Gina: I can appreciate that but why only when you go to court.
Danny: I see Shaun about as much as I need to to affectively do my job. And I don’t
think I’m ignoring him. I don’t think I’m seeing him any less than I’m seeing any other
clients. Do you all think I am?
Gina: I have concerns.
Danny: How many times do you feel I need to see him?
Gina: I can’t answer that question. I’m asking you because he is concerned.
Danny: I talk to him before I go to court, but he knows everything I’ve ever done. So,
do you all. He knows every single thing. So, do you all. I’ve answered every single
question. David has a habit, a policy, see every lawyer is different.
Laverne: I know cause Cunningham--
Danny: He sees his clients in jail more than anybody I know and I commend him for
that. I have a feeling that if they were going to seek the death penalty on Shaun I
would have seen him a lot more.
Gina: So, at this point, we don’t know if they are going to seek the death Penalty?
Danny: I don’t know it for positive, but uh, the DA’s told me he’d be pretty darn
shocked if they did.
Gina: The DA told you that?
Danny: Yeah.
Gina: Isn’t he the one that decides?
Danny: Excuse me.
Gina: Isn’t the District Attorney the one who would decide whether or not--
Danny: The District Attorney himself Johnny Holmes did not phone me, the trial
prosecutor told me they would be very, very surprised if they sought the death penalty
against Shaun.
Laverne: Why did they put a title of capital murder against him, if he was not the shooter.
Danny: Let me explain this the best way I can.
Laverne: And they know he is not the shooter.
Danny: The law of parties in the state of Texas, is the following. You all have
probably-- you have heard the word accessory.
Laverne: Well, while you are looking it up, can you explain it to me.
Danny: I’m going to read it to you, word for word. I’ve explained it to you all several
times, so now I’m going to read it to you.
Laverne: Cause you know I just saw a case on TV, where there was a murder where three
people were involved and two got aggravated and one got capital murder.
Danny: I remember the case. I’m familiar with the case.
Laverne: They were actually there and they were a partaker of the event.
Danny: They were a party to.
Laverne: Uh, right. Exactly.
Danny: They didn’t shoot the guy. They didn’t kill the guy, only one guy did it.
Laverne: They only got aggravated robbery.
Danny: After they did that, when it came down to the trial date, after all the
investigation was complete, they finally agreed to do that. And I’m hoping that’s what’s
going to happen in Shaun’s case. But we are not anywhere near the trial date. So,
they never do anything early like that.
Laverne: Okay, like, this just happened not to long ago and we’re already hearing this is the
only thing they got. So, I know they didn’t get a trial date--they didn’t go through
different trials that quickly.
Danny: Yeah, they do, in different courts. That’s a different court they get trials
quickly.
Laverne: That was mighty fast. It wasn’t a lot of time.
Danny: But you shouldn’t be concerned-- or worried if you don’t think I’m talking to him
enough. That should be the least of your worries.
Gina: Actually, it ‘s my real concern is--what-- not how many times you talk to him; it’s
what takes place when you are talking to him that concerns me. So, he’s asked me to
ask these questions for clarity.
Danny: I will answer any questions he ever has. I’ve done that. And I will continue to
do that. Now he may not like my answers, but I’ll answer the question. And that’s my
job.
Gina: Well my main question is what is your defense?
Danny: What’s the defense?
Gina: Yeah.
Danny: The defense is that he did not aide, abet and assist Windeon Sanders in
committing capital murder. He was there to rob the people, he was there to burglarize
the home. He was there to take dope and money. He wasn’t there to harm anybody,
but he wasn’t there certainly to participated or had intent to participate. I have said
that kind of thing to you all ten or fifteen at least, at least.
Gina: Well, I heard you say that he was guilty. That alarms me.
Danny: Oh, he is guilty.
Gina: He’s guilty of burglary.
Danny: That’s right, I’ve never, ever said that he was guilty of capital murder, Gena
and you can’t tell me that I have. I’ve never said that. Ever.
*Gina: When we were arguing the murder, so
Danny: I’ve never ever said he was guilty of capital murder and you’ll never ever hear
it come out of my mouth, anywhere. Not in the hallway, not in this office and not in the
court room. And I’ve never ever told Shaun he was guilty of capital murder ever have I
told him that. Anything else?
Laverne: Have you filed any motions for him towards, you know, to get the sentence
dropped.
Danny: There is no motion in the system of criminal law that I can file now, pretrial that
say please reduce his case from capital murder to aggravated robbery. There is no
such motion. The motion has to occur... Now, I can beg and I can plead with the DA
like I have been through out the entire case for them to do that and I will continue to do
that. But there’s not a legal motion that I can file asking for that to be done. Okay, you
can request what’s called a jury instruction. When he gets to trial if the DA is
continuing to be stubborn and push this capital murder case on Shaun, which I think
would be unwise, but that’s what the Grand Jury did. They indicted him for that.
That’s what they’re indicting him for right now. If they continue to push that, when we
have the trial I can file what’s called a request for a Jury instruction. The jury be given
the option of the reduced charge of aggravated robbery, and/or burglary of a
habitation. And it’s going to be up to the jury to decide whether he was only there
doing that or if he was aiding, abetting, or assisting Windeon. So, at the proper time
absolutely I will be screaming and yelling for the reduced charge. Right now, all I can
do is scream and yell at the DA and tell him he’s being stupid and he’s being stubborn
for what I think is over charging Shaun. Okay. But he’s got a grand jury that returned
an indictment for capital murder. He’s in the drivers seat right now because until I can
get to trial with Shaun there’s no way I can get anybody, right now to understand that
he’s only guilty of a lesser charge.
Laverne: Okay. What are we actually looking at August the 12th? What is going to actually
happen--
Danny: Pretrial motions that sets you up for a trial. The motions that we file for pretrial
settings like that are discovery related. So, that you have all of the motions that you
have to protect the rights of the defendant to get ready for the trial. The main one that
I filed is right here and I’ve given him a copy of it. It’s a motion for discovery,
production and inspection of the evidence, it’s a 16 page motion very, very thorough. It
covers any and all evidence they have to produce to show me and David and Alan--all
three lawyers what they have. They have already compiled substantially with that by
giving us this tape that we listened to by showing us photographs, by giving us a copy
of the autopsy, that type of a thing. This will be a little more detailed. When we get in
there on the motions, we’re actually going to be requesting copies of the photos, so
that I can go over those photos with Shaun and show him the location of the body.
The location of where the gun shots was. One of the gun shots went into the back, the
headboard. So that we can get the direction of it showing how the forensic evidence is
going to come out, the direction of the bullet. Those kinds of things. And also, it gives
us a sense of what the bedroom looks like; so that Shaun will know where Windeon
was standing, those kinds of things. If there’s any other type of forensic evidence that
any of the experts from the state can use, we need to be aware of any of their reports
like if they’ve done a ballistics test on the bullet, if they’ve got any fingerprints, in the
bedroom or anywhere in the house. We’re entitled to all of that so we’ll know what the
physical evidence is as well as any witnesses are and so on. So, there’ll probably be a
lot of agreements at the pretrial motions. But, sometimes you’ve got to get the judge
to order them to do some of the things. I’m going to be talking with David and Alan
when we get closer to it. Uh, what they feel like we may not have an agreement on.
But, Shaun thinks there is a motion-- and this is jail house talk is what it is--that there
is a motion that I can magically file, have it filed on August 12th and go up and ask the
judge to reduce his charge. It’s not legally possible to do that. The judge cannot do
that. There is no way under the old criminal procedure or the Texas penal code, that
the judge, or any judge can reduce this charge. It can only be done after all the
evidence is heard.
Gina: Then, let me ask you this, What is a plea bargain?
Danny: A plea bargain is an agreement between the state and the defendant; where
the state makes a recommended punishment and the defendant accepts that
punishment.
Gina: Pretrial?
Danny: Yes, yes. And it happens all the time. I have told the DA we would be happy
to talk plea bargain as long as they were willing to reduce the charge to aggravated
robbery or burglary. We’d be happy to talk some kind of plea bargain and they know
that. And it may happen, but I have a feeling it’s not going to happen ‘til after
Windeon’s trial. I have a feeling they want Windeon’s trial to happen, they want all of
the evidence to come out. They want to see how the young 16 year old girl is going to
testify. They want to see how she holds up to the pressure, all the trauma she’s going
to have to go through. I think they want to see how the jury treats Windeon. I think
they want to see what’s gonna happen. Because Windeon’s got some issues too, that
the jury’s going to have to resolve. If, as I told you all last time in the hallway, I feel like
and my opinion is and I think Alan and David will probably agree with this too--If the
state gets what they want in Windeon’s case and they go all the way and seek the
death penalty and the jury gives him the death penalty they are going to be doing it
with Shaun. They are going to feel confident. They are going to feel cocky. And they
may not offer him any kind of lesser deal. They may say we are going to go for life, in
a capital murder trial. And we are going to take our shot and see if the jury goes for it.
If the jury in Windeon’s case though shows some mercy on Windeon, let’s say, they
don’t give him the death penalty or even better let’s say they have some doubt that
Windeon intentionally killed the lady. Basically the statement says the gun went off as
she grabbed his hand. If that’s a fact that’s not intentional. He didn‘t have the intent to
kill her. Let’s say they have some mercy on him and they give him some type of
reduced charge maybe manslaughter, maybe regular murder what ever it is the
reduced charge may be it’d be it’d by their choice. And I think it would be great for
Windeon and I think it would be great for Shaun, because I think at that point the state
can finally get reasonable and see the defense with all this and I think then they will
offer up some kind of plea bargain that maybe Shaun can live with. And I can tell you
this, in any kind of case where someone gets killed like this they are not going to offer
anything light. Not in a murder trial. They are not going to offer 5 to ten years. They
don’t do that-- Even if he is a first offender 18 years old they wouldn’t do that.
Gina: In whose case?
Danny: I say even if they had a first offender 18 years old they wouldn’t do that offer 5
to ten years.
Gina: I understand that, but--
Danny: There is a much different situation here. Shaun is a mature adult and he is on
probation for robbery. Okay. They look upon that very dimly, if your on probation for
robbery and you go out get involved in something this serious.
Laverne: But at the same time when they show how faithful he was to probation don’t you
think they --
Danny: Oh they don’t care about that one bit. I do but the DA could care less about
that. They know he committed a robbery. They know that. They feel this way--there
mentality is that if he committed robbery one time he should never ever break the law
again.
Laverne: Did he ever discuss with you what actually happened?
Danny: Oh yeah. They don’t care. The DA’s don’t care about the details of the case.
It had robbery on it. That’s all they care about.
Gina: And they are this adamant based upon what harsh language?
Danny: Excuse me?
Gina: They are being this adamant based upon harsh language and the fact that he had
a weapon?
Danny: All of that the fact that he had a weapon, that he alleged threaten to kill these
people, had a gun in their face, demanded money, demanded drugs demanded
jewelry. Scared them to death. Oh yeah, absolutely.
Gina: and--
Danny: --now--again I can tell-- That’s what it is on paper. We know there’s always
two sides to every story. And I have talked to Shaun a many times about what really
happened and he claims that a lot of that is not true. Well it all boils down to how the
sixteen year old witnesses going to hold up. Is the jury going to believe her version or
are they going to believe Shaun’s version, you see. Well, it doesn’t take a genius to
figure out that most people on a jury is going to believe a innocent sixteen year old
who has never been in trouble before over somebody who is on probation for robbery.
Gina: How do you know that the sixteen year old has never been in trouble before? Are
you going to have her record pulled.
Laverne: Are they going to look at that?
Gina: Did they pull her record is my question?
Danny: We will get to that after all these pretrial motions.
Gina: Are you going to pull Phyllis’ record, because she has a record I know.
Laverne: As well, the husband.
Danny: Fairly the husband’s-- His record will be pulled. Phyllis we may or may not get
to do that. Now, if she is going to testify the rules of evidence state we can pull that
record if she is going to get up on the witness stand. But if they are dead the judge is
probably not going to allow us to use this. But, we will make the request to pull it and--
she was no angel I know that-- but I don’t believe that the sixteen year old had been
arrested she may have been in trouble before. She probably may have run around
doing illegal stuff; but to prove it. I don’t know. It’s worth looking into.
Laverne: Have you all been able to locate her at this time. I know you had a problem
investigating--trying to find her.
Danny: Uh Huh. I’ve backed off from that.
Laverne: And your reason was?
Danny: Because I am waiting to hear from David and Alan, whether we want to talk to
her pretrial or not. The last time I talked to them they weren’t sure. They were still
thinking about it--See, because now the death penalty cases they do things a little bit
differently. They do things that might be hurtful to Shaun. What may happen is we
may not try to talk to her. That decision does need to be made.
Laverne: And your reason is because you feel it could cause damage or it’s not helpful?
Danny: See, it is a sensitive thing when you talk to a young witness--particularly one
who’s mother got killed right in her face. And it may just be an exercise anyway. She
doesn’t have to talk to us where ever she is living. Number one, she could say heck
no I ain’t talking to you. The DA and the officers told me I don’t have to talk to
anybody if I don’t want to. Now, if they intentionally told her don’t talk to anybody
period. We are telling you not to. Now, that’s a different statement. You don’t have to
talk to them if you don’t want to and that’s all they have to do. See, most of the time
they will not talk any way; and if she was living with an aunt like you think she is that
Aunt probably is not going to let her not to talk to me either. Just trying to protect her, I
guess. You know. No, I don’t want her to talk to you it’s bad enough she has to go to
court. I don’t want her to re-hash it. If you had a sixteen year old girl you probably
would not want her talking to a stranger about a murder either. So, it really is an
exercise to think about right now. It’s something that I wanted to do and it’s you know--
if Windeon’s case wasn’t set the way it was for the death penalty I’m sure we would
have tracked her down, and we would have talked to her or at least tried to talk to her
on my side the case a long time ago. I’ve kinda backed off from it to kinda wait and
see what David and Alan are going to do. Because, you know, I don’t want to do
something that’s going to trample on their strategy. Their going to trial first.
Gina: What do you mean you don’t want to trample of their strategy?
Danny: We are not communicating very well Gena?
Gina: Sure we are. It’s just--
Danny: We are not communicating.
Gina: For you to say that--I know there is--
Danny: That is a plain sentence. That is a plain sentence.
Gina: Well, let me explain it to you this way: Your client is Shaun Sanders. Now
Windeon I understand--
Danny: I understand that and he is my number one concern. She’s got a son looking
at the death penalty, he’s gonna have needles stuck in his arms, and killed. All right.
Now, I am not going to do anything that hurts or prejudices Shaun Sanders’ case
however if they are going to trial first I have a right to talk with their lawyers and
collaborate on pretrial strategies. If I feel like it will be a big disservice to Windeon and
Shaun together then I’m not going to do it. So, don’t get this attitude with me that I’m
not looking after Shaun’s rights because that’s what your getting at and I’m sick of it.
Gina: Do I have an attitude?
Danny: Yes I do.
Gina: No, Let me tell you my concerns if you don’t understand my attitude. We have
been patient with you. We have been patient with--
Danny: Why would you ask me that question? You asked me that question in a
negative way. “What do you mean you don’t want to trample of their case?”
Gina: No, I didn’t. I’m sorry if you don’t like my tone of voice and I will calm down so you
will have no problems understanding what I’m saying.
Danny: --well good, good. We’ll both calm down.
Gina: We have been extremely patient for a year and I have sat back on the phone and
listened to you tell me how heinous the murder was -
Danny: It was do you disagree? Do you disagree?
Gina: How? I wasn’t there. I know what Shaun has told me and based on what he told
me and what Windeon is saying--
Danny: It’s a cold blooded shooting or it was an accident, right? That’s for the jury to
decide.
Gina: We have been extremely patient and I have not, have not heard you say once what
your defense was.
Danny: Oh yes you have. You hadn’t been listening.
Gina: --No, sir. No sir. Let me tell you what you told Shaun. Let me tell you what you
told Shaun, because I specifically--
Danny: Were you there when I told Shaun? Were you there when I talked to Shaun
or are you listening to what he’s telling you?
Gina: Now who is being argumentative? What he told me and what you told me--and let
me quote you verbatim--”His case is in the hands of the jury.” Do those words sound
familiar?
Danny: His case will be in the hands of the jury.
Gina: Do you think that was a proper answer when he was asking you what kind of
defense you were preparing for him?
Danny: I told him what the defense was. I’ve got it written down here. Thats when I
went to see him the first time in jail. I spent over an hour with him telling him what his
defense was. I’ve got it written down here.
Gina: This is the time you saw him in May. You saw him that Saturday. You said your
case is in the hands of the jury. So, if I seem a little agitated that’s because I am a
little agitated. But I am being patient.
Danny: Everybody’s case is in the hands of the jury, if they go to a jury trial. That’s
correct. It’s going to be up to the jury to decide what he is guilty of. Now what is
wrong with saying that. Nothing.
Gina: Because that doesn’t answer his question. What is your defense?
Danny: I told him what the defense was. I told you all today and I told him over and
over again. He’s not a party to the capital murder. He didn’t aid, abet, or assist
Windeon Sanders.
Gina: Can you be a little more specific? Then, let me give you some examples. Do you
intend--Why is it you are not allowing Windeon to make statements on Shaun Sanders
behalf. Because it seems to me--
Danny: I didn’t. You are asking the wrong person here. I’m not Windeon’s
lawyer--
Gina: That’s right. You are working with his lawyer.
Danny: Yes, I am.
Gina: Then this had to have come up.
Danny: I am going to call Windeon as a witness in Shaun’s case if I have to.
Absolutely. It is up to David and Alan to decide whether he talks and gives a
statement or not, not me. They make those decisions. Windeon will be called as a
witness. Now, will they let him testify, I don’t know. That’s their decision. Windeon
you know, Windeon probably does have some good things to say about Shaun. And I
don’t doubt that a bit. Now, when he does be called it’s gonna be after he’s had his
trial. Now, if he gets a death sentence you think that his lawyers are going to let him
testify--I doubt it. I sure will beg them to.
Laverne: Well, why wouldn’t they.
Danny: You will have to ask them that.
Gina: Shaun is being tried after Windeon.
Danny: You have to ask them that.
Laverne: We know. We understand that. It seems like though-- What I’m saying like right
now Mr. Easterling hopefully and pray to God he don’t get the death penalty but after
he gets convicted--He gets sentenced I’ll put it that way. It seems like to me his trial --
he is taken care of. They should not stop him from testifying for his brother.
Danny: That’s what you need to talk to them about. However, if its based upon appeal
and it may come back to the court. The lawyers are scared that if he says something
that may be use against him if the state comes back on appeal, see. That is the only
thing that I am thinking of. But that’s there decision. I am not stopping Windeon from
making statements of behalf of Shaun. No way would I ever do that.
Gina: And you haven’t tried to see Windeon?
Danny: No. I don’t need to see Windeon now? I can get anything I need to know from
his lawyers? And if I tried the law really says I have to get their permission to do it.
Yeah, Windeon , either in the last court date or the one before that I shook his hand.
David and I--yeah--He introduced me. I shook his hand there on the bench. And then
he said. “I want to talk to you“. I said, “that’s fine. I‘ve got to get there permission”.
So, he wants to talk to me. I think he wants to tell me. And I’m no dummy. I think he
wants to tell me Shaun didn’t have anything to do with this murder. He didn’t plan it to
kill anybody. Shaun didn’t egg me on to kill anybody. He wasn’t anywhere close to me
when the trigger went off. You know, I’m sorry I even talked him into going over there.
It was my idea to go over there. He’s gone say all those things. I know he will. If he
gets their permission to talk. No doubt in my mind. Now, he says some of those
things in his own confession. You know. Y’all know that. Now, will he get to say that
on the witness stand at Shaun’s trial I don’t know. But, I sure pray to God that they will
let him do it. And I don’t know. We will get to that when we get to that. But, there’s no
reason to get upset with me because I haven’t gone and talked to Windeon or I haven’t
tried to force a statement out of him because--
Gina: I am not hardly upset. I am just asking question, which brings me to my next
question Do you intend to have any witnesses, for example, his brother, the girls that
were there that night?
Danny: I will fill the court room with any witness who will benefit Shaun Sanders. And
yes, I’ll call every one of them. Absolutely. If I didn’t do that I would be a poor lawyer.
You bet. You know, the people that were there at Windeon’s apartment, you know they
may even be on the state’s subpoena list. For all I know. They’ve got their names.
They know all that stuff. So, yeah. If any of those people can back up Shaun’s
version. Absolutely. And all of y’all will testify at the punishment stage. So, the jury
knows there are people out there that care about him. And I apologize about getting
upset. Anytime someone comes in a questions what I am doing I justify my work. I
am proud of my work. That’s all. I get a little sensitive to people who criticize, or come
close to criticizing. But, I promise you I’ve told Shaun many times what his defense is.
I hadn’t just said, “It’s in the hands of the jury.” He knows everything. Shaun knows
what his defense is. Now, whether he believes me or not. I don’t know. Shaun has a
way of me trying to explain something to him and he goes off on a tangent and he
wants to ask a question right while I am trying to explain something to him so I don’t
think he keeps the thoughts in mind what I‘m trying to say. I’m not criticizing. But, I’m
saying I’ve told him over and over again and I’ve took notes here from my meetings
that look Shaun here is what it’s going to boil down to. This is what I see how you are<