EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Two of the top attorneys assigned to the case against accused Walmart shooter Patrick Crusius are no longer with the District Attorney’s office as of Monday.
Assistant District Attorney John Briggs and Special Prosecutor Monica Barron-Auger left their positions Monday, KTSM confirmed.
Barron-Auger had just started her position July 11 under the grant funding provided to secure special prosecutors on the case. Barron-Auger confirmed her resignation was effective Monday. She declined to comment on the reason for her departure, only stating that it had been a pleasure to work on behalf of the citizens of El Paso.
Briggs was also let go Monday.
A second Special Prosecutor, Adaeze Ada Nwaneri, who was also hired as part of grant funding in July, is still assigned to the Walmart case.
Briggs was also the attorney assigned to prosecute the county’s second pending death penalty case against Facundo Chavez, the man accused of shooting and killing Deputy Peter Herrera during a traffic stop in 2019.
KTSM reached out to the family of Deputy Herrera to determine if they had any communication with the District Attorney’s office regarding the status of the case against Chavez moving forward in Briggs’ absence.
“No one has been in contact with the family. We have reached out but have had no response from the DA,” Paulina Hijar, Deputy Herrera’s aunt and family spokesperson, told KTSM. “Facundo Chavez should have already gone to court. The longer this goes on, the harder it is on our family. There will never be closure for us, but a trial would bring us closer to resolution.”
It’s unclear who is now handling the Deputy Herrera case and if anyone else has been assigned to replace the two attorneys on the Walmart case. A request for comment from the District Attorney’s Office was not met by our deadline.
This story will be updated if a statement is received.
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