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Burns and Olson Sex Scandal
by Hilary
There
is a very unusual, very naughty reason why the Burns and Rafay trial has
been put off for even longer than expected. The case, which was
scheduled to commence in April of 2003, was delayed when Theresa Olson, the
attorney originally representing Sebastian Burns, was discovered having sex
with the alleged murderer in his jail cell. His jailers had suspected
for several months that something less than professional was going on
between the two. The guards lacked definite proof, however, until the
morning of August 10th, 2002, when the attorney and her client were caught
in the act.
Exactly what that act was isn't known for fact,
though eye-witnesses are fairly certain they were engaged in all-out sexual
intercourse. Other reports are less certain about the extent of the
physical contact between lawyer and client. One thing that is
certain is that whatever intimate contact they were engaged in resulted in
Superior Court Judge Charles Mertel ruling Olson's representation of
Burns completely inappropriate.
The delay resulted when an entirely new defense team had
to take Mr. Burns on. Ms. Olson and other attorneys from The Defense
Association had been preparing the case for nearly 3 years. A
newly-appointed defense team has been working since then to pick up the
pieces left by Olson and proceed.
The Washington State Bar Association initially
chose to punish Olson's by suspending her ability
to practice law for one year. However, in December of 2003, that
decision was rejected by the state Supreme Court (speculation says the
1-year suspension was considered too lenient). The Bar Association
settled on a public hearing to decide Olson's fate- but it won't take place
until after the Rafay/Burns murder trial wraps up this spring.
Following the hearing, a
bar association officer will determine Olson's penalty, there will be a
review process, and the penalty must gain final approval from the Washington
State Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, Trial Diary wouldn't be surprised if Burns has been giving
high-fives and receiving pats on the back from his jail buddies ever
since. Most inmates in Washington state don't even qualify for
conjugal visits, and jokes about what prisoners do to sustain themselves
instead are a dime a dozen. Then there's the enigmatic character
Sebastian Burns: who has reached either new lows or new highs in male sexual
conduct, depending on
which side of the iron bars and barbed wire you fall. And can we blame
him for this conduct, considering that if convicted, he is unlikely ever to
have physical contact with a female person for the rest of his life?
Not to mention the fact that if the sexual contact was initiated
by Olson (which is not known either way at this point), Burns couldn't
exactly refuse. A person on trial for murder does not want to be on
their defense attorney's bad side for obvious reasons. Rejecting the
advances of someone who can so greatly affect the fate of the rest of one's
life, is arguably not a wise option.
Olson on the other hand, as a legal professional, should
have behaved differently.
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