Superior Court Division
The
Superior Court Division, led by Division Chief Andrea Freshwater and Assistant
Chief Victor Nunez, prosecutes some of the most challenging cases in the District
Attorney’s Office, including kidnapping, assaults, robberies, attempted murders,
and murders.
One of the largest divisions in the office, Superior Court deputies handle all felonies not assigned to a branch or vertical prosecution division and are responsible for more than one third of all felony cases tried by the District Attorney’s Office.
Within the division is the Major Violators Unit, which prosecutes criminals with an extensive felony background, serial bank robbers and other defendants charged with numerous serious felonies who are facing extraordinarily long prison sentences.
In addition, the division handles post-conviction mental health cases for those found to be a danger to the community as a result of mental illness and are thereafter placed in state hospitals.
High-profile cases prosecuted by the Superior Court Division
in 2009 include:
People v. Alan Mabrey
On February 7, 2009, 24-year old Emily Dowdy was
crossing a street when she was struck and killed by a truck being driven
by Alan Mabrey. As
Ms. Dowdy lay in the street, rather than trying to help her, Mabrey left the
scene and went to a nearby restaurant to eat a hamburger. Mabrey's blood
alcohol level at the time was .22, nearly three times the legal limit. Prior
to killing Ms. Dowdy, Mabrey had been convicted of DUI in both Texas and Colorado
a total of six times. Numerous witnesses were called at trial including
police from Colorado who remembered Mabrey and had told him he would kill someone
if he continued to drink and drive. The jury returned a guilty verdict
of murder and hit and run and Mabrey is now serving a sentence of 20 years-to-life
in prison.
People v. Brae Hansen and Nathaniel Gann
Hansen
(age 17) and Gann (age 19), were the step children of Tim MacNeil. Following
their mother's death, Mr. MacNeil continued to raise Hansen while Gann lived
in Arizona. Following a plan to rob and kill Mr. MacNeil, Hansen drove
to San Diego from Arizona, bringing a gun with him. Once inside the house,
Mr. MacNeil was shot. Then, Gann and Hansen staged the scene to make
it look like a home invasion robbery. Although Hansen was found tied
up and claimed she herself was victim of the robbery, her story quickly unraveled
and the plot to kill Mr. MacNeil was revealed. Following a jury trial,
both were convicted of first-degree murder. Hansen was sentenced to prison
for life without the possibility of parole. Gann was sentenced to 25
years to-life-in prison.
