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Murder suspect asks for new attorneys
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Lance Hundley told Judge Maureen Sweeney he wants new attorneys to represent him in his capital-murder case.
Judge Sweeney said during a pretrial hearing Wednesday for Hundley in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court she does not know if she will grant his request, but she also told him firmly he does not get to choose who the attorneys are or where they come from.
Further, the judge said, he will cooperate with his new counsel if gets it, no matter what.
Hundley, 47, is accused of the Nov. 6 murder of Erika Huff, 41, and the beating of Huff’s mother, inside Huff’s Cleveland Street home. Police said Erika Huff, who had multiple sclerosis and needed a wheelchair, was beaten to death and then Hundley tried to set the house on fire. He could receive the death penalty if convicted.
His attorneys, Lou DeFabio and Lynn Maro, asked for a competency evaluation, and the results were revealed Hundley has been determined competent and sane.
DeFabio said he and Maro were asking to withdraw because they cannot get along with Hundley.
Hundley complained his attorneys made him sign a form to plead not guilty by reason of insanity, but Judge Sweeney said that issue is now moot because the evaluation found Hundley to be sane.
Hundley also said he did not want Maro to be one of his attorneys because Maro represented Youngstown Mayor John A. McNally in his recent plea bargain in the Oakhill corruption case. Hundley said a city employee is related to Huff, and he is afraid that would be a conflict of interest for Maro.
“This is a small town,” Hundley said.
Judge Sweeney disagreed. “This is not a small town. Canfield is a small town,” she said.
Judge Sweeney said if she appoints new counsel, they will be members of the Mahoning County Bar Association. She said her options are limited because court-appointed attorneys must be certified by the state to defend a client who is facing the death penalty, and there are a limited number of those attorneys available.
Hundley also said he wants his tax documents given to him so he can see if he can get a tax refund from his business that would give him enough money to hire his own attorney.
Judge Sweeney said she has not decided if she will replace DeFabio and Maro, but she added that Hundley will need attorneys up until the moment new counsel is either appointed or hired.