Asst. Hennepin Co. Attorney Reflects On Senser Case
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Deborah Russell says having the Amy Senser trial over gives her a great sense of relief.
Russell is back doing her normal work load now after what could have been the biggest trial of her life so far.
For the past year, the Senser case took up most of her life.
She recalled what she was doing the morning of Aug. 24, 2011.
"The beginning of the story is actually kind of interesting," Russell said.
She said in her office, they charge on a rotation. She remembers it was her turn to receive cases from law enforcement.
"I remember because I was at the fair, and I had asked someone to cover for me that day," she said.
After getting home from the fair, she checked email, and got a note saying she would be charging the case. She learned then of the accident, but also that they had no driver.
"There started to be information that was filtering to us, and I don't think it came out to the media, that the Senser vehicle was involved," she said.
When she learned of the "celebrity status" of the case, she admits she was not affected.
"There have been a few cases over the years, Kirby Puckett comes to mind, Chris Cook, actually that case came along too, but I guess I didn't look at it with the foresight to recognize that the publicity and public interest that the case would generate," she said.
WCCO's Susie Jones Interviews Russell
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Amy Senser was sentenced to 41 months in prison for the hit and run death of Anasone Phantavong.
