THE FALL OF CHUCK ROSENTHAL
Dror’s original prosecutor before his trial began was Chuck Rosenthal. But during the pre-trial motions, Mr. Rosenthal was running for the position of District Attorney and turned over the role of prosecutor to Kelly Siegler.
It was during this time that the tone of the prosecution became rather anti-Semitic. The prosecution began to focus and to state repeatedly that Dror was just a rich white boy that was being protected by his rich Jew attorney mother and rich Jew physician father.
After becoming the district attorney, Mr. Rosenthal carried on the long tradition of past Harris County DA 's of being "tough on crime". However, it was becoming increasingly apparent this style would no longer work in Houston.
Due to the crime lab fiasco, it was evident that hundreds of innocent men had been sent to prison for crimes that they did not commit. However, instead of trying to investigate and to help exonerate those who were proven to be innocent, Chuck Rosenthal continued to block their freedom. And as the calls for reform increased, Mr. Rosenthal became even more obstinate. Finally, a civil law suit was brought against Rosenthal. The Yberra brothers were suing the DA’s office and the Harris County Sherriff 's Office for violation of their civil rights. And during their civil trial, the Yberra brothers’ attorney, Lloyd Kelly, was able to successfully secure the release of dozens of e-mails from Chuck Rosenthal's office.
These e-mails revealed that Mr. Rosenthal had been carrying on an illicit affair with his secretary, and that he may have been using state reserves for his re-election campaign. Also, it was revealed that Mr. Rosenthal and Kelly Siegler's husband, Dr. Sam Siegler, were exchanging racist and sexually explicit e-mails to each other.
Once the residents of Harris County learned of these racist emails, they began to call for the resignation of Rosenthal. Furthermore, during the Yberra civil trial, Rosenthal admitted that his judgment was clouded by prescription medication, that Dr.
Sam Siegler had prescribed to him. Mr. Rosenthal soon resigned in disgrace and moved out of Houston.
The district attorney's office set a very unethical standard to Dror's case. The claims of anti-Semitism were proven true when Rosenthal’s racist views were exposed.
Houston Chronicle, February 15, 2008 – “Rosenthal Cites Prescription Drugs in Resignation as DA”
ABC/KTRK-TV Channel 13, February 16, 2008 – “DA Chuck Rosenthal Steps Down”
THE FALL OF KELLY SIEGLER
After Dror's conviction, Mrs. Siegler continued to pursue high-publicity cases. These cases include Clara Harris, a woman convicted of stabbing her husband to death, and a high school football coach who was accused of murdering his wife.
During the Harris trial, Siegler garnered national attention by dragging a mattress into the court room and by straddling her co-counselor to show how the defendant may have stabbed her husband. In the coach's trial, although there was no evidence connecting him to the murder, Siegler resorted to her favorite tactic of claiming that the coach had an "evil mind" and a secret personality that no one knew about. Siegler also used hearsay from the coach's high school days, 20 years before the crime even took place, to show that he was intrinsically evil. After Chuck Rosenthal resigned, Siegler attempted to run for the Republican nominee for the District Attorney of Harris County. Although it was her husband that contributed to Chuck Rosenthal's resignation by sending him the racist e-mails and by prescribing him the medications that he abused, Siegler still hoped to win.
Kelly Siegler lost in the Republican primary election and no longer practices law in Harris County.
Houston Chronicle, January 9, 2008 – “More e-mails Emerge in Harris County DA Scandal”
Houston Chronicle, January 27, 2008 – “Siegler’s Career in Court Comes With Controversy”
Houston Chronicle, January 11, 2008 – “Lakewood Quote Has Siegler on Defensive”
ABC/KTRK-TV Channel 13, May 9, 2008 – “Prosecutor Siegler Resigns From DA’s Office”