The north Texas district attorney found murdered with his wife yesterday had been carrying a gun to guard against possible assassins, the AP reports. Wary after one of his assistant prosecutors was killed, Mike McLelland kept the weapon on him at all times, even when walking his dog (he figured his enemies would strike when he was outside). And he told employees to be cautious at all times. "The people in my line of work are going to have to get better at it," said McLelland of the danger after Mark Hasse's slaying and the murder of Colorado prison chief Tom Clements. In other developments:
- McLelland said Hasse might have been killed by white supremacists—a possible angle in the death of Clements. "We put some real dents in the Aryan Brotherhood around here in the past year," McLelland said of his office.
- The El Paso County Sheriff's Office is investigating similarities between the McLelland and Clements killings, the Denver Post reports. "We have nothing to indicate that they are connected but just based on a [district attorney] being involved we figured it was worth our while to reach out," said a spokesman.
- Before becoming the district attorney of Kaufman County in 2010, McLelland had worked as a defender for the mentally ill, reports the Dallas Morning News Crime Blog. They often suffered from bipolar disorder or schizophrenia and were "very unstable" when not on medication, said a public defender. But she didn't recall any specific conflicts between McLelland and unhappy clients.
- Surveillance cameras at McLelland's house may reveal more about the killing, reports the Dallas Morning News. Earlier reports that the assailants had kicked in the door were not accurate. (Clements was killed when he answered his door.)
Click for the full story, including alleged threats by the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas to retaliate against law enforcement officials. (More Mike McLelland stories.)
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