PROBATE
STATE OF CONNECTICUT
PROBATE COURT
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IN RE: ESTATE OF JUDGE HART
EMMA KOST – O’NEAL PC- CV – 07-0613
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TRANSCRIPT OF STATUS CONFERENCE
Judge Hart: I asked my clerk – you know Nancy Talbot –
Ms. Dillon: Yes, your honor.
Judge Hart: I asked Nancy to set this down for today …
Ms. Dillon: Yes …
Judge Hart: And call you in for a status conference on the Kost-O’Neal Estate.
Ms. Dillon: Thank you, your honor, this will help.
Judge Hart: You and Nancy met earlier.
Ms. Talbot: Yes, Judge, we went over some details.
Judge Hart: Good, then. I thought maybe an informal setting – in chambers – might be appropriate, though I do want to make a record, so Ms. Horvath will be our Court Reporter this morning. Now, Ann - it’s Ann, right?
Ms. Dillon: Ann Dillon, your honor.
Judge Hart: And you’re here on behalf of Mr. Stevens?
Ms. Dillon: That’s correct.
Judge Hart: He’s the one who -
Ms. Dillon: He shot and killed Mr. Sullivan.
Judge Hart: The same Mr. Sullivan who’s named in the will?
Ms. Dillon: That’s right, your honor.
Judge Hart: Well, this is something, then – perhaps a little more drama than we’re used to in Probate Court.
Ms. Dillon: Yes, your honor.
Judge Hart: And what is Mr. Stevens’s current status?
Ms. Dillon: He’s dead, your honor.
Judge Hart: Dead?
Ms. Dillon: Yes. After he was arraigned and remanded for trial …
Judge Hart: No bail?
Ms. Dillon: No – Yes, I mean the Court did set a figure, but Mr. Stevens was unable to pay the bond.
Judge Hart: That doesn’t sound right – a successful lawyer, well connected, well known …
Ms. Dillon: Mr. Stevens had been in financial difficulty for some time, and his family, the ones still living, are either distant relatives or chose not to help.
Judge Hart: And now he’s dead.
Ms. Dillon: He suffered a heart attack and a stroke the night after he was arraigned. He was a broken man, Judge.
Judge Hart: I see.
Ms. Dillon: He was my boss for years. He was always good to me, and the whole thing was such an aberration ...
Judge Hart: And a capital crime.
Ms. Dillon: Yes, your honor.
Judge Hart: Now, Ann, I understand that you are not a lawyer.
Ms. Dillon: No, your honor, I’m not. I attended law school but was never admitted to the bar.
Judge Hart: Chose not to sit for the bar exam?
YOU ARE READING
Burial of the Dead
Mystery / ThrillerA wealthy woman is dead in Hartford, CT, and the cause of death is anyone's guess. Suicide? Murder? Natural causes? The manner of death will determine the payout of her estate and there are as many possibilities as suspects. A powerful and thrilling...
