SAN ANTONIO – A court motion alleges District Attorney Nico LaHood of threatening to “destroy” and “shut down” another attorney’s practice after they successfully got a judge to declare a mistrial.
The trial of accused killer Miguel Martinez came to a halt after his defense attorney learned key information from prosecutors.
The defense attorneys claim Bexar County prosecutors did not tell them that a prosecutor in its office “once had a sexual encounter with the star witness in the case,” the motion said. It continued that the information was revealed, “only after being ordered to do so.”
The jury had already been sworn in and the prosecution had already made its opening statement.
Court documents show Martinez’s defense did not want a retrial and that caused LaHood to allegedly become “enraged” and he threatened to “destroy and shut down the defense lawyer’s practice and make sure they never got hired on another case again in Bexar County.”
The court motion also claims LaHood said he would do whatever it took and “He could always go back to private practice” and “would make more money as a defense attorney.”
The district attorney denied the allegations.
“I can't speak for their heart, all I know is what the facts are and the truth, and I stand by the truth,” he said. When asked if he said what is alleged LaHood said, “Absolutely not.”
Martinez is accused of killing Laura Carter in January 2015. Prosecutors allege Martinez was Carter's heroin dealer.
The prosecutor who had the relationship with the witness in the case was not part of the trial, but the motion said she did have a chance to review the case.
KSAT reached out to the defense team for comment and they referred us back to the motion.