Stevenson describes the situation preceding Walter’s Rule 32 hearing. Stevenson suggests that District Attorney Tom Chapman seriously reconsider his position before the trial. Chapman instead moves forward with hiring Assistant Attorney General Don Valeska, a man known for being tough on “bad guys,” to argue in defense of Walter’s conviction. Stevenson writes that the presiding judge, Thomas B. Norton, Jr., quickly tired of the conflicts between EJI and the State during pretrial hearings. EJI had insisted that the State check several times that they’d provided all available files. Stevenson asked the judge to reserve a week for the hearing. The judges argued that the original trial had last only a day and a half, and settled on reserving three days. EJI has a new paralegal, Brenda Lewis, an African-American former police officer who resigned after seeing countless “abuses of power.” Brenda prepares and “calm[s]” all of the witnesses for Walter’s case.
