TX ASSST DA CLIFF HERBERG APPARENT LIE

TX ASSST DA CLIFF HERBERG APPARENT LIE

REPORTER'S RECORD
TRIAL COURT CAUSE NO. 2011-CR-3682
STATE OF TEXAS VS. CALVIN LEE DAY

IN THE DISTRICT COURT
379TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT
BEXAR COUNTY, TEXAS
************************************************************
TRIAL ON THE MERITS
JUNE 11, 2013
*************************************************************
On the 11th day of June, 2013 the following
proceedings came on to be heard in the above-entitled and
numbered cause before the Honorable Ron Rangel, Judge
presiding, held in San Antonio, Texas:
Proceedings reported by machine shorthand.

PAGE 10

"And we would
represent to the Court that we believe that Ms. Newcomb is
being manipulated by Mr. Del Cueto and Mr. Brown and
Mr. Norton, that this constitutes tampering with a witness."

PAGE 24

"MR. HERBERG: If I may, Your Honor, let me make
it clear. This matter, of course, is still under
investigation."

At the Motion for a New trial Hearing on 08/26/2014 it was learned that the above statements made by cliff Herberg were apparently not true as follows:

EXCERPTS FROM STATE OF TEXAS VS CALVIN DAY

HEARING ON MOTION FOR NEW TRIAL

AUGUST 26, 2013 (Exhibit I)

 

Page 5, lines 1 thru 3 & 10 thru 14

THE COURT: ………..On the request of the Court,

the State provided all of the documents in regards to this file

to the Court for an in camera inspection…..”

 

“THE COURT: And so the Court reviewed all of

those documents, reviewed the State's file and was confident

that there was no investigation that was going on during the

course of the trial towards the defense attorneys or

Ms. Newcomb's attorney.”

 

 

Page 6, lines 8-14

“THE COURT:  Yes. And I reviewed several

different -- several prosecutors' notes of what was going on.

………………the Court's confident that there was no investigation

that was going on, no ongoing, no active investigation that was

going on at any time.”

 

Page 6 lines 18-25

“MR. MCCRUM:……………….. Mr. Herberg

falsely represented that there was an investigation……………

Mr. Herberg's statement

to the Court on June 11th was:

"If I may, Your Honor, let me make it clear.

This matter, of course, is still under investigation," which is

a pretty affirmative statement. I don't think it gets more

affirmative.”

 

Page 7, lines 1-5

MR. MCCRUM: “And if we read it in context, he's talking about

the matter of witness tampering involving Mr. Del Cueto,

Mr. Norton, and Mr. Brown

……..that was a

false representation to the Court”

 

Page 16, Lines 1-12, & 17-21

(Q = MICHAEL MCCRUM, A = JAY NORTON)

“Q ………Do you recall Mr. Herberg indicating that

his office had initiated an investigation?

A Yes, sir.

Q Do you recall what type of investigation Mr. Herberg

indicated he had initiated or his office had?

A Felony witness tampering.

Q All right. And do you recall whether or not you were

identified as a target of that investigation?

A Yes, sir, I was.

Q And what was your reaction when you heard

Mr. Herberg's statement?

A My initial reaction was, he's crazy…………….

but he is capable of doing this for

all kinds of reasons.

Q Capable of doing what, sir?

A Investigating Mr. Brown, Mr. Del Cueto and myself

and -- with the eye towards perhaps charging us.”

 

Page 22, lines 12-16

(Q = MICHAEL MCCRUM, A = JAY NORTON)

“Q …………..did you feel that it” (i.e., Herberg’s investigation threat) “would

have affected you in your representation of Dr. Day through the

remainder of the trial?

A Yes, I felt it would. In fact, I knew it would and

it did.”

 

Page 36, lines 7-13 (Q = MICHAEL MCCRUM, A = JAY NORTON)

“Q And when did the strategy change in your mind as to

whether or not to call Dr. Day?

A When Cliff Herberg walked through the door just as

Mr. Rangel did at this moment (indicating).

Q And made the allegation that you were under

investigation.

A Yes, sir.”

 

Page 42, lines 11-13

(BY MR. MCCRUM) “………………what

now appears to be a false representation by Mr. Herberg to this

Court of an investigation.”

 

 

Page 43, lines 17-21 & page 44, lines 5-7

(Q = MICHAEL MCCRUM, A = JAY NORTON)

Q (BY MR. MCCRUM) How did that play in your mind when

Mr. Herberg is standing on the record in front of the cameras,

representing to the Court that there is an active

investigation, a criminal investigation, against you and

Mr. Brown?............

Q And as a result, sir, did that affect your strategy

and the remainder of the trial to the detriment of Dr. Day?

A Yes, sir.

 

Page 63, lines 1-5

A (BY ALAN BROWN) ………“Cliff Herberg…..

I wouldn't think he

would just walk in here and say a lie like that. That just

shocks me that he would do that, that anyone clothed in that

much power would stroll in here and make it up.”

 

Page 65, lines 11-12

A (BY ALAN BROWN)

 ……Andrew Del Cueto was gone, and so my opinion still is

the district attorney's office tricked him or lied to him.

 

Page 66, lines 4-16

(Q = MICHAEL MCCRUM, A = ALAN BROWN)

“Q (BY MR. MCCRUM) Mr. Brown, I want to be clear as to

how do you think it would affect your trial strategy and what

has happened to you in the past that would affect how you think

about this, this being that you're being placed under

investigation.

A Well, just a huge thing. I thought if we lost, they

would quit.

Q You thought if --

A We lost the case --

Q That they would --

A Quit the investigation.

Q -- quit investigating?

A Yes.”

 

Page 69, lines 18-20 & lines 24-25 & page 70, lines 1-3

(Q = MICHAEL MCCRUM, A = ALAN BROWN)

Q………… how did that affect your

judgment in terms of Mr. Herberg's investigation of you for

witness tampering?.....

Q And how did that affect your representation of

Mr. Day for the balance of the trial?

A I mean, it affected the whole trial, the whole

balance. It affected me from that minute on. I never did -- I

never had my heart in the trial.

 

Page 73, lines 11-14

A (By ALAN BROWN) “……Herberg…….I could not believe he

walked in this courtroom and said something like that, okay, if

it wasn't true. Because to me, that's a huge -- if he is an

officer of the court, walked in here and told –“

 

Page 73, lines 24-25 & page 74, line 1

A (By ALAN BROWN)

“….. Herberg……

…had tried…..

to -- he had conned me.”

 

Page 75, lines 14-19

& Page 76, lines 7-8, 21-23

& page 77, lines 3-5

(Q = MICHAEL MCCRUM, A = ALAN BROWN)

“Q (BY MR. MCCRUM)

What about Mr.” (Jay) “Brandon's presence in

this situation? …………….

Q Was he involved in this situation, sir?

A Yes, he was. Yes, he was.

………….he carried on a lie of

Mr. Herberg. As a matter of fact, I consider him a liar, too.

…………Mr. Brandon caused it, some of it. He participated in it by

coming down here with that bunch of bull. He came down here

and made me believe the investigation was real –

…….he carried the theme forward that Mr. Herberg had started. He

did, okay? And I think Catherine Babbitt did it, too. Those

are the three that I think did it.”

 

Page 80, lines 15-16

(A = ALAN BROWN)

“…………We did not

try the case right after that”

(i.e., Herberg’s investigation threat) “happened.”

 

Page 81, lines 12-14

(A = ALAN BROWN)

“……..Herberg ……

was playing some strategy to get my eye off the ball, …… I'm

ashamed to say it worked, okay?”

 

Page 82, lines 3-10

(A = ALAN BROWN)

“I couldn't believe the district attorney's office was

trying a case in which they thought that I had tampered with a

witness or that Jay Norton had or that anybody had. To me,

stop the trial, stop everything, get it straightened out. I

could not believe. They're supposed to be in the interest of

justice. It just shocks me that they do that. I've never

seen -- I don't think I've seen a U.S. attorney or a DA's

office do that before.”

 

Page 87, Lines 13-14 & Lines 18-19

(Q = JAY BRANDON, A = ALAN BROWN)

“Q (BY MR. BRANDON) Okay. So you don't know what your

professional responsibility is.”

…………..I did better than y'all did. I

didn't lie to people and con people, okay?”

 

 

Page 89, Lines 6-11

(A = ALAN BROWN directed at ADA JAY BRANDON)

“………what y'all did in creating this

conflict, you messed up the trial, and that's what caused me

to -- that caused it and got it all off track, slowed it down

and messed it up and just -- you know, that caused all the

trouble. All the trouble caused here was by coming in this

courtroom and targeting me.”

 

Page 91, line 18

(A = ALAN BROWN directed at ADA JAY BRANDON)

“…y'all did it just to -- because you thought you were losing.”

 

Page 97, lines 2-14

(Q = MICHAEL MCCRUM, A = ALAN BROWN)

“Q Why? What happens when you're told by Mr. Herberg in

his position that you're under criminal investigation?

A I mean, I think it's serious to a first assistant

district attorney telling you something like that in a

courtroom with the press listening and the judge listening.

That's a very serious allegation. I think it's actually per se

libelous. It's probably against everything there is to tell me

a lie like that. And for an officer of the court to stroll in

here and say that to me and not be true? That's incredible to

me, okay?

Q Now --

A I mean, he shouldn't be first assistant, obviously,

okay? I feel sorry for the district attorney.”

 

Page 104, Lines 21-22

“THE COURT: All right. In the interest of

justice, the Court will grant the Defense motion for new trial.”