After the election, key employees left the Hillsborough district attorney’s office

TAMPA – In the month since Suzy Lopez served a full four-year term as Hillsborough County’s state’s attorney, at least two top prosecutors in her office have announced their departures, including one of her top aides.

At the same time, there was a change of money in the special unit for victims, which handles the most serious and difficult cases in this office, as three lawyers have left or are planning to leave last month.

Meanwhile, the office continues to go without a lawyer to review cases for wrongful convictions.

The chief assistant leaves

Kimberly Hindman, the chief assistant who oversees all criminal divisions in the office, will leave next month to take a similar leadership role in the administration of Hillsborough Public Defender Lisa McLean.

“I’m excited about the opportunity,” Hindman told the Tampa Bay Times, adding that it was “a tough decision.”

He declined to answer further questions about the change.

Hindman, 54, has worked in the Hillsborough District Attorney’s Office since 2005. He is experienced in handling the most difficult cases in the office, including murder and sex crimes.

He became a top aide during the tenure of former Attorney General Andrew Warren. He worked alongside Renee Muratti, the senior assistant who oversees the office’s misconduct and youth divisions.

Lopez made several changes to the staff at the top after Gov. Ron DeSantis nominated him to replace Warren, who will appoint him in 2022. Hindman and Muratti continued as Lopez’s chief assistants. Both registered Democrats, they each contributed $1,000 to Lopez’s campaign that won against Warren in this year’s election.

It is unclear who might replace Hindman in the State Attorney’s Office. Lopez can choose to promote someone from within the office or hire someone from outside. It is also possible that the position could be eliminated, with Muratti taking over from Hindman. Under the previous administration, this office was staffed by one senior assistant.

Muratti announced Hindman’s departure in an email dated 20th to the entire office.

“Although we have not made final decisions about what changes we will make to deal with the loss of the office, we are in the process of making those decisions and will share those decisions with all of you as those decisions are made,” Muratti. he wrote. He asked that employees share ideas and suggestions with him or the office manager, Gary Weisman.

“I have a lot to say,” Muratti wrote. “I’ll leave it with you, you’ll miss it.”

Hindman’s partner, Jennifer Spradley, is a longtime public defender, currently serving as the homicide bureau chief for outgoing Public Defender Julianne Holt.

Wrong beliefs in limbo

One glaring vacancy left by Hindman’s departure is in the office’s case review division. For about a year, Hindman’s responsibilities included reviewing all appeals brought to the division, with the goal of identifying and correcting cases where defendants were wrongfully convicted.

Warren created the criminal review unit and made it the centerpiece of his tenure as Hillsborough County’s chief prosecutor. More than 100 similar units exist in district attorneys’ offices across the country.

It contributed to the release of Robert DuBoise, who spent nearly 37 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. DuBoise’s story was the focus of a Tampa Bay Times feature series called The Marked Man. The unit also helped secure the release of Tony Hopps, who spent 31 years in prison for a Tampa robbery he did not commit.

This unit received much publicity under Warren. It became more obvious after Lopez took office, though it helped free three defendants in his first two years.

Diane Marger Moore, the last full-time attorney assigned to the division, left the office in February and now works for Florida’s attorney general.

Lopez’s office told the Times this spring that they are in talks with a potential successor. But after 10 months, no one has been hired.

“Our office will always review any petitions brought where defendants believe they have been wrongfully convicted,” an office spokesperson wrote in a statement. “When we interviewed some people who were looking for this position, we did not find out how many there are. However this work is organized, it is important, and our lawyers will continue to ensure that justice is done.”

The office’s website still has a link to a page where people who claim wrongful convictions can submit applications to the conviction review unit.

This unit is always listed on the office organization chart with the word “vacant.”

The chief resigned

Less than a week after Lopez’s victory, his staff was shaken by the sudden resignation of Christine Brown, one of the office’s top attorneys.

Brown has been in the office since 2001, serving at different times for State’s Attorneys Mark Ober, Warren and Lopez. Most recently he was the head of the road homicide unit, a position he has held for more than two years. The role allowed him to manage attorneys handling the office’s most serious and legally complex cases, including DUI homicide and vehicular homicide.

His most notable cases include the prosecution of Jorge Britton, who a jury last year found guilty of driving under the influence and causing a fiery crash that killed two men on Interstate 275 in Tampa. He also led the case against Stephen Paleveda, who was convicted in February of causing a crash that killed a man on the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway.

Brown was also the prosecutor in the case of Jennifer Carvajal, a young woman accused for the second time in her life of driving under the influence and causing a fatal accident. Carvajal, who was charged in 2021, has a trial scheduled for February.

The reason for Brown’s sudden departure is unclear. In response to a Times inquiry, a spokeswoman for Lopez’s office said Brown had resigned. A public records request for documents detailing the reasons for his departure produced a one-line email Brown sent on Nov. 13, saying: “I am hereby tendering my resignation.”

Brown did not return messages for comment. The office said that all his cases have been referred to other lawyers.

Income in the sex crime unit

The office’s special victims unit, which handles the prosecution of sex and child abuse cases, has seen dramatic changes in the past year, including a new departure in the past few weeks.

Of the ten lawyers assigned to this unit, two of them, including the deputy head of the unit, have left or announced plans to leave the office since the beginning of November. The division’s former chief and deputy chief, both veteran prosecutors, left about the same time in the summer of 2023 to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Jessica Couvertier, a prosecutor with more than a decade of experience, serves as the unit’s chief. Of those who are still assigned to this unit, four have worked in the office for less than five years; two of them for less than two years.

Joseph Kudia, a longtime attorney in the public defender’s office, is expected to join Lopez’s office as deputy chief of the special victims unit. He then referred questions about the move to the State Attorney’s Office.

“Prosecuting SVU cases is one of the most difficult and mentally taxing jobs in our office,” a spokesperson for Lopez said in a statement. “The exchange situation in this section was similar to previous years because of that reason. Jessica Couvertier will continue to lead a team of incredibly talented attorneys with a wealth of experience to bring to the table. “