Threat From Prosecutor Draws Reprimand

The Minnesota Supreme Court has publiclyreprimanded Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom for discouraging amedical examiner from letting a co-worker to testify in a WashingtonCounty murder trial.

Backstrom will pay a $900 fine.

In a one-page decision, filed today, the state’s highest courtfollowed the disciplinary recommendation issued last month by theOffice of Lawyers Professional Responsibility.

The Minnesota Board of Public Defense filed the originalcomplaint. The state public defenders argued that Backstrom oversteppedhis bounds by sending an e-mail to Dakota County Medical ExaminerLindsey Thomas telling her she could lose her job if she or one of theother doctors in her office testified for defense attorneys inneighboring counties.

Following the e-mail, a doctor in Thomas’ office declined totestify as an expert witness for the defense in the Washington Countymurder trial of Nicole Beecroft, 19, who was later convicted offirst-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison for killing hernewborn daughter.

Backstrom accepted the recommendation of the Lawyers Board lastmonth and agreed to the fine. He issued a public apology for sendingthe email, acknowledging that it gave the appearance he was interferingin an ongoing court trial.

“I did not intend to adversely impact the Washington Countytrial in any respect,” Backstrom wrote. “However, sending this email atthe time I did represented a lack of judgment on my part for which I apologize.”