Following her sentencing June 30 to life in prison for slaying her parents, Diane and Alan Johnson, in 2003 in Bellevue, convicted murderer Sarah M. Johnson was left without official legal representation.
Her appointed public defender, Bob Pangburn, is no longer under contract with Blaine County and has, at least temporarily, faded from the case. However, Boise attorney Mark Rader, investigator Patrick Dunn and counselor Linda Dunn are continuing to represent the 18-year-old for free.
They have been doing so at least since May 2, when 5th District Judge Barry Wood ordered that Pangburn could handle Johnson's sentencing on his own. For his part, Dunn said he has not billed Blaine County since March.
Working for free is not typical for the Dunns, a husband and wife team.
"It's something we don't normally do. In fact, we've never done it before," Patrick Dunn said. "I can tell you it's something I'm doing because I believe the girl's innocent. Regardless of what happened in the courtroom, I believe she's innocent. And so does Mr. Rader."
Pangburn, too, has indicated his ongoing belief in Johnson's innocence.
Dunn said he could not easily quantify the time he has invested on Johnson's behalf for free, but he said he has been spending about half of his work weeks on the case.
"It was a considerable amount of money," he said, adding that his wife has invested "well over 1,000 hours for free."
Moreover, he said Rader did not bill Blaine County for all of his work during the seven-week trial that ended with Johnson's conviction.
"I know he feels it's his duty as an attorney to make sure this girl is represented because of everything that's going on, and he is doing it completely pro bono right now," Dunn said.
Dunn worked on the case as recently as last Thursday. He traveled to the Gooding County Jail, where Johnson was being interviewed about her alleged rape at the Blaine County Jail by a jail trustee in his 30s. Although he was denied access to the interview, Dunn said he wanted to ensure the young woman's rights were not violated.
But the long and short of it remains: During the investigation into the alleged rape, and into a potential appeal, Johnson's defense team does not appear ready to back down.
"We will continue to represent her while her appeal is in process and while we are investigating this other possible crime," Dunn said.
