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Testimony begins in Phillips' trial
Jury hears from 7 witnesses Tuesday morning
Published Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The administrator of the $3M estate of Cary Douglas Piper, which is at the center of the state’s felony ethics and theft charges against former Probate Judge Sherrie Phillips, testified Tuesday that she brought the estate to Covington County to settle at the advice of her attorney, who carpooled to law school with Phillips.
The administrator, Mary Drew Sullivan, said she and her attorney, John Brock of Evergreen, met on several occasions with Phillips, both for lunch and in her office. The former judge told Sullivan she would have to open a bank account for the estate in Covington County for Phillips to have jurisdiction over it, Sullivan testified.
Sullivan said Phillips agreed to award her and the attorney 15 percent each for administrative and legal fees at Brock’s suggestion. Sullivan and Brock have since repaid the $450,000 each they received form the estate.
Jurors also heard from Karen Lawson, who works in the probate office; Bill Greenwald of Edward Jones investments; Greenwald’s assistant, Nichole Adkison; Russell Walters of First South Farm Credit, Nancy Cole of Regions Bank and Delmar Wiggins of D&S Vinyl Fence.
With Greenwald’s help, prosecutors presented each of 10 checks totaling $516,000 that Phillips wrote on a money-market account she established in her name and with her Social Security number with a $1.8 million check from the Piper estate.
Her attorneys, Riley Powell of Andalusia and David Harrison of Geneva, appear to be laying the groundwork for a defense that will claim that no one “owned” the money in question and that she has repaid all of the money to the account.
There were 58 people subpoenaed to testify; in the first day of testimony, the jury has heard from seven.
Court resumes at 1:15 p.m.
Comments
Posted by alhm (anonymous) on October 28, 2008 at 3:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Since no one "owned" the money why didn't they ask me if I wanted a little of it too? That is the dumbest defense I have ever heard. She was just borrowing some of it to earn the intrest off of it? That doens't make it hers either. That doesn't even make the intrest earned hers!
Posted by patwilliam (anonymous) on October 28, 2008 at 3:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Oh come on! That is a lame excuse and defense if that's what she using! Good Lord! She has since repaid all the money back. Well, if she didn't intend to keep it, then why did she take it in the first place. I wonder where she came up with all the money that she has already spent from it??? What gives here? Maybe as alhm said, interest...maybe she made enough interest to buy herself new things and spread the wealth....yeah, I could have used some of it as well, if she was spreading it around....duh
Posted by super (anonymous) on October 28, 2008 at 4:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Barak Hussein Obama would be proud of her - "spreading the wealth"
Posted by m08m (anonymous) on October 28, 2008 at 8:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If I was Sherrie Phillips, I would not show my face in public. I would ASK to be HUNG. I definetly would not go "volunteer" my time at public functions. For those of you who did not make it to the fair last Friday night. She was there, and she was dancing along with the ensemble like an idiot. Just knowing her and knowing what she done made her look like an idiot. That woman should go right to hell on the fastest way of transportation that will get her there. This is WRONG! She is a public official who is to uphold the trust of the people she serves, and she failed at that. She stole from a dead person who had NO WAY of defending himself. How do you defend this?
I am only 19 years old, and growing up...i specifically remember my mother telling me how crooked Sherrie Phillips was/still is. I remember that as a young child!
She knew what she was doing, and anyone who honestly believes that she did not know is absolutely insane and I will quickly question their mental status.
But, as we all know Sherrie Phillips, I am sure she will come out smelling like a rose.
Idiot.
Posted by sweetnannie (anonymous) on October 28, 2008 at 10:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I like the comment on Barrack Hussein Obama. I agree wholeheartedly. People are such fools to believe anything he says. JUst like with Phillips. Some people feel they are above us and beyond the law. Watch out for Obama. If he wins we are definitely in trouble America. Covington County needs to clean up their acts. Maybe the FEDs need to investigate further into our courts, especially if she gets off with this.
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