Ex-detective Cowley's criminal case aided by national group

Ex-detective Cowley's criminal case aided by national group

(Tom Smart/Deseret News)


5 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

WEST VALLEY CITY — More support was announced Wednesday for former West Valley police detective Shaun Cowley's legal defense.

The Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, a national group that helps protect the legal rights of law enforcement professionals, has agreed to step in and help Cowley's defense against a criminal charge of manslaughter.

Cowley, 33, was charged in the shooting death of 21-year-old Danielle Willard during a botched drug operation on Nov. 2, 2012. The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office determined the shooting was not legally justified in August 2013, and criminal charges were filed in June.

The Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund is a nonprofit organization that specializes "in assisting law enforcement officers across the country who, amongst other things, have been wrongfully charged with using excessive use of force in the line of duty," according to a statement from Cowley's attorney, Lindsay Jarvis. The group consists of former FBI agents and attorneys general.

The legal defense fund believes that Cowley acted in self-defense when Willard attempted to flee the scene, and will provide "both financial assistance and legal expertise for Cowley," Jarvis said.

"We reviewed the facts of Shaun's case very closely and found them compelling. We noted with dismay that the district attorney's office took 18 months to second guess a decision that Shaun had to make under two seconds," the group said in a prepared statement.

In July, Paul Cassell, a University of Utah law professor and former federal judge, also joined Cowley's defense team.

"The support detective Cowley has received from the LELDF further confirms that the charges filed against detective Cowley are without merit," Jarvis said. "Detective Cowley and his legal defense team are more than confident that he will be acquitted, as this case is nothing more than a witch hunt fueled by selfish political motivations."

A preliminary hearing is scheduled to begin Oct. 2.

Photos

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Pat Reavy

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast