KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Terra Morehead, a former Wyandotte County prosecutor and retired assistant U.S. attorney in Kansas, voluntarily surrendered her law license following a history of ethical problems.
The Kansas Supreme Court will issue an order for disbarment.
Morehead sent a letter to the Kansas Attorney Disciplinary System on February 6th.
Morehead's decision came after an investigative report conducted by the Department of Justice could have been relevant in pending disciplinary proceedings.
The two complaints pending against her at the time, according to the Kansas Office of the Disciplinary Administrator (ODA), related to her role as an assistant United States attorney.
In the first case, a federal judge vacated criminal convictions and dismissed the indictment with prejudice after the district court judge concluded Morehead violated the defendant's Sixth Amendment rights.
Had the case gone to a formal hearing, the ODA would have ruled Morehead's conduct to be in violation of several state rules of professional conduct.
In the second case, Morehead faced sentencing from a federal judge due to misconduct.
If the complaint moved forward, the ODA would have found the attorney was in violation of several state rules of professional conduct, including knowingly making a false statement of fact to a tribunal and engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.
Lamonte McIntyre Case
Morehead's name is commonly associated with Lamonte McIntyre's case.
She was accused of intimidating a witness and colluding with former Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department detective, Roger Golubski to frame McIntyre for a double murder.
McIntyre had a huge smile on his face after he heard Morehead would no longer practice law.
"Initially, I was excited because it's so many people I hear from all the time saying, 'What's gonna happen with the district attorney?'" McIntyre said. "This is closure for me because I know she can’t do that to nobody else."
Nearly 30 years ago, McIntyre was convicted as a teenager.
He was exonerated in 2017.
"When I went to trial, I went with evidence that was made up," he said. "I was confused the whole time going through the process because I didn't know the victims, the witnesses. I was a person in that situation as a kid and I didn't know why."
Thinking of Morehead takes him back to the days in the courtroom.
"It’s the name," he said. "I always see the name. I always see the face. I see this woman’s face a lot. When I was in my trial, she gave me a look and I always see this look. She didn’t know me and I didn’t know her, but this was my first time seeing her and she would give me a look. Now, I’m at place where I don’t see this no more. This is closure for me because I know she can’t do that to anybody else."
From One Exonoree to Another
There are other people with miscarriage of justice stories similar to McIntyre's.
One of them shared the same attorney with McIntyre.
"They sent me to prison for life without parole for 50 years, plus 25 years consecutive, and it took almost 25 years to get my sentence overturned and be proven innocent," said Darryl Burton, who also is a free man.
Burton was convicted of a murder in St. Louis he didn't commit.
McIntyre and Burton were connected by Cheryl Pilate, a noted criminal defense attorney.
Burton was released before McIntyre, but made sure to share words of encouragement until the day came for McIntyre, too.
"When he came and hugged me, I said 'Lamonte, we gotta help other people get out of prison.' I didn't even say welcome home," Burton said.
Burton said one prison sentence creates a myriad of problems for people who are wrongfully convicted.
"Does she get a pension? She gets to go on with her life and get a 401k, retirement, pension, saving," Burton said. "She probably has a whole lot of things we don’t have. We missed out on all of that. We don’t get any of those things."
McIntyre started forming the Miracle of Innocence Project not long after Burton was released in 2017.
They're in the middle of several cases. The men said they've helped four people get out of prison in seven years.
They hope the system will move quicker in the future when it comes to attorneys like Morehead.
"It's not about right or wrong," Burton said. "It's not about good and bad. It's not even about the truth. It's not even about justice for some of these people like Terra Morehead. It's about convictions."
A History of Ethical Challenges
Niko Jackson, a witness from McIntyre's case, admitted years ago that she knew he didn't commit the murders.
However, she claimed Morehead threatened to take away her children and send her to prison.
A judge threw out drug charges in 2017 for a man after saying Morehead threatened a witness and didn't provide enough evidence sooner that would've helped the defendant.
What's Next?
Lamonte McIntyre wants a review of Morehead's cases and criminal charges for cases she's mishandled. McIntyre's attorney, Cheryl Pilate, said the retired prosecutor's abuse of power needs to be reviewed.
"I am certain there are more innocent people who are victims of Terra Morehead, Roger Golubski or other police in that police department," she said. "Given this development, I think there should be a dedicated multi-agency project involving looking at all of these cases. The harms that have been inflicted are more numerous than we can probably even quantify right now," Pilate said.
Gregory Watts, a criminal defense attorney in Kansas City, Missouri, said there is a strong possibility cases will be reviewed, but it is up to specific offices to make that decision.
Watts said surrendering a law license does not grant any immunity from prosecution.
Morehead’s attorney did not return requests for comment from KSHB 41.
The Kansas Supreme Court has not entered an order of disbarment.
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