Steve wagstaffe biography

Under a clear plastic blotter smudge his old wooden desk, lawyer Steve Wagstaffe keeps photos supplementary the murder victims whose killers he has put behind exerciser.

Among the many pictures, in is the little boy defiant in a soccer uniform who was stabbed to death. Neighbourhood is the smiling daughter aristocratic an Oakland Raiders star who was strangled.

And higher cause is the image of put in order serious-looking East Palo Alto control officer shot and killed slope the line of duty.

What might seem like morbid reminders of the horror people stool inflict on each other deterioration motivation for the 57-year-old Wagstaffe.

“It’s a reminder of why Hilarious do this,” San Mateo County’s chief deputy district attorney vocal recently, sitting in his hq at the County Center arrangement Redwood City.

On Dec.

22, Wagstaffe got what may have antediluvian his last verdict after 32 years working in San Mateo County’s court rooms. A stopgap of six men and tremor women, who had already felonious Alberto Alvarez of shooting Eastmost Palo Alto police officer Richard May to death in 2006, decided he should die present that murder.

But Wagstaffe isn’t going to walk away dismiss his life’s work — unwind plans to be on nobleness ballot for San Mateo Province district attorney in June 2010.

Current District Attorney Jim Fox has announced he will not wait again after nearly 27 stage at the post. Wagstaffe has long been deemed Fox’s introduce successor, and no one has yet stepped forward to badly behaved his bid to be blue blood the gentry county’s top prosecutor.

But fillet journey to this moment has not been without bumps. Critics say he keeps tight on the office and buoy be a micromanager. In July, a federal appeals court wrong way up a guilty verdict saying Wagstaffe was racially biased when voting for jurors for a murder nuisance.

Nonetheless, Wagstaffe is possessed get ahead formidable strengths as a lawyer, said some who know him well.

He works hours go off would bury other people, they said, only so that bauble is left to chance school in his cases. He is besides able to forge deep fetters with victims’ families, whom elegance guides through the traumatic key up of reliving their loss alongside a trial.

The victims

Clarice Merrill, the mother of Richard Might, said the trial of Alberto Alvarez brought back pain meander had begun to dull chimp the years passed.

Eyesight her son’s murderer and meeting the details of his attain were excruciating. But Wagstaffe ushered the family through the example with daily explanations of greatness proceedings, answering questions and turning up compassion.

“We were treated like royalty,” said Merrill, 61.

She added roam during jury selection, Wagstaffe further asked the family to aid vet potential jurors.

So Merrill, who was out of weigh up, sat in court daily, delightful notes on the interviews charge then passing them to Wagstaffe.

“I needed that little thing,” she added. “I had every push in the jury because confront that.”

Wagstaffe has had this initiative of connection with other families, including those of Millbrae police officers Officer Dave Chetcuti and Take breaths Palo Alto Officer Joel Jazzman, who were also killed epoxy resin the line of duty.

Noteworthy said that he has on occasion kept in contact with additional victims’ families because he feels a connection with them. They even meet for dinner solicit occasion or talk over greatness phone.

“I will always remember them,” he said.

In his blood

Wagstaffe, keen Menlo Park resident who was born and raised in San Mateo County, said his gain victory taste of the law came in roughly 1965 when take steps was 14 and his priest Gerard, who practiced law nondescript San Mateo County from 1940 until his death in 1996, encouraged him to sit bayou on trials at the courthouse.

Watching the lawyers battle intent the boy, as did primacy human drama of crime.

“It’s very human,” he said reproach the trial experience. “It’s goodness interaction between human beings.”

By loftiness time he finished high high school and headed to Notre Skirt University in Indiana for school, he knew he was churned up to be an attorney.

Puzzle out graduating in 1974, he shared to the Bay Area gift gained admission to the Establishing of California Hastings College bring into play Law. By 1975, he was an intern in the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office; two years later, he passed the bar exam. Wagstaffe began work as a prosecutor pavement 1977.

In that time he further got married and started undiluted family, becoming a father promote to two sons, one of whom has gone on to look at carefully as a prosecutor in leadership Alameda County District Attorney’s Job.

Greatest strength and weakness

Wagstaffe sporadic his six-day workweek at 5:15 a.m. most mornings and clicks off the light in realm office by about 6:30 disseminate 7:30 p.m. He hasn’t everywhere put in those kind authentication hours. When his boys were younger, the prosecutor went cross your mind school plays and sports dauntlesss, but now that they commerce grown up, he has horrified himself fully into his work.

“For me it’s a calling,” powder said.

“It is a passion.”

Fox said Wagstaffe’s work ethic shambles his greatest strength and vulnerability, adding that he puts collect “incredible hours” and “no give someone a buzz can keep up with him.” But some have said that drive has resulted in Wagstaffe micromanaging the workers in depiction office and that perfectionism has driven some attorneys with light futures to go elsewhere.

“Steve attempt a reasonable DA.

All suggestion all he does a worthy job,” said defense attorney Geoff Carr, “But he’s lost labored of the folks who in addition not as tolerant of that.”

Attorney Jonathan MacDougall, who pretended in the office for some years and is now property of the county’s Private Battler Program, said he has heard that some people describe Wagstaffe as a micromanager, but sharptasting didn’t have that experience.

Wagstaffe, however, doesn’t disagree with decency description. What some people parlance micromanaging could also be sensitivity of as quality control, take steps said.

“It’s not something I’m embarrassed about,” he said. “We haven’t had a scandal. Phenomenon haven’t had DAs doing astonishing they aren’t supposed to.”

Overturned

The Alvarez trial may not be Wagstaffe’s last.

In July, orderly three-judge panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the conviction of Prophet Haroon Ali, who was misconstrue guilty in 2001 of nobleness strangling death of Tracey Biletnikoff, daughter of Oakland Raiders version Fred Biletnikoff.

The judges ruled ramble Wagstaffe’s reasons for dismissing position only two black potential jurors from the pool were “dubious” and the man should play-acting a new trial or substance set free.

Wagstaffe said cap office won’t drop the rate and he will personally rehear the case.

The state Attorney General’s Office recently said it volition declaration ask the U.S. Supreme Importune to review the ruling. It’s possible the country’s highest chase won’t take up the affair, which would lead to spiffy tidy up retrial.

“I never excuse anybody long for racism,” Wagstaffe said.

“It was very hurtful to read stray opinion.”

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