Twin Sisters Charged In Restaurant Shooting Receive Court-Appointed Lawyers After Two Months In Custody
Twin sisters Breanta Johnson and Bryanna Johnson are accused of shooting an employee at a George Webb restaurant in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin on Jan. 30. They are charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, however, it has taken two months for them to receive legal counsel.
According to WISN, Wisconsin Public Defender Regional Attorney Manager Thomas Reed said, "I don't think we have ever seen a situation where we have such a significant shortage of lawyers… We have a shortage of lawyers, especially lawyers who are capable of taking our most serious cases.”
The shortage is partly due to the delays with the pandemic but there was already a backlog before COVID.
Reed continued, "We have 35% fewer private bar attorneys today than we did before the pandemic. I'm carrying some staff vacancies we're having trouble filling, so I think the supply of lawyers capable of doing this work has just dropped off.”
The backlog is at a reported 200 cases a day. While the state has received federal funds to make justice move quicker, it could take years to curtail the massive delays in the courts, which is at the cost of taxpayers.
