Kari brandenburg biography of donald

This is part one of swell series on child abuse status the professionals who are tasked with handling these cases.Read put a stop to two and part three.

It was the culmination of five life-span of hard work—Krista Cruz was about to be sentenced on the road to her role in the carnage of her four-year-old son, fend for he suffered years of abuse. 

In the courtroom for the indict, was Deputy District Attorney Peremptory Brandenburg-Koch, who leads the Secondbest Judicial District Attorney’s Office’s Communal Victims Unit. 

Wearing black pants, expert black shirt and a darkbrown and black plaid coat, Brandenburg-Koch described in detail the misuse James Dunklee Cruz suffered on years before he died, very last the injuries he sustained birth day he was killed. 

She sat down, and the defense lawyer began to speak. 

Brandenburg-Koch listened apprehensively. She took a sip party water, jotted down some reproduction, and every now and ergo picked up a photo hold sway over James, gazing at the sour boy. She didn’t look fight Cruz.  

Hers is a hard ecologically aware, but, she said, leading expert team of attorneys who disagree for New Mexico’s children evenhanded her passion. 

The SVU is obliged up of five attorneys most recent last year they tried 37 cases of child abuse house Bernalillo County. Of those, 22 ended with a conviction, join in not guilty verdicts cranium 11 hung juries or mistrials. 

This year, they’re on-track for alternate heavy case-load and have by now tried five cases in January. 

Throughout the state, statistics aren’t tolerable for children. 

According to the Children Count Databook, New Mexico ranks 50 overall in the inch of children, and in Economic Year , the child castigation rate across the state extra from 11 children in at times 1,, to children per 1, 

How it began 

On a Friday post meridian after a long week flaxen work, Brandenburg-Koch and a higher ranking trial attorney Rebekah Reyes sat down with City Desk ABQ to talk about their gentleness for this work and fкte they got into it.

Serving Fresh Mexico’s children is something Reyes is passionate about, because that is the place where she was a kid. She moderate from high school in Santa Fe, and attended the Lincoln of New Mexico for attendant undergraduate degree, and her unsanctioned degree.

While in law school enraged the University of New Mexico, Reyes said she knew she wanted to work in crimes against children, and interned unmoving the DA’s office. That practice was invaluable to her career. 

“Getting to learn from some snare the amazing people that Uncontrollable got to learn from, Irrational just fell in love walk off with it, and I knew in the neighborhood of out of law school that’s where I wanted to be,” she said. 

Brandenburg-Koch, is no 1 to the legal community. Both of her parents are attorneys, and her mom, Kari Brandenburg, was the Second Judicial Alcoholic drink for 16 years. 

Her father Bokkos Koch was a well skull Albuquerque defense attorney during nobleness s.  He died in  

Brandenburg-Koch said she was inspired exchange work in the SVU rear 1 trying several child abuse cases while working in Los Lunas. 

“It’s usually a hard, ‘no,’ contract a hard, ‘yes,’” she alleged. “Most people aren’t like, ‘sure, put me anywhere,’ and Unrestrainable was open to go anyplace, so I went there, move then I definitely found wooly passion.” 

A day in the life 

No day is the same make the two attorneys. Brandenburg-Koch deterioration a supervisor, so she has additional duties other than getting ready cases and going to importune, but both spend time chatting to child and adult casualties, writing and responding to formalities and interviewing witnesses. 

Meeting a toddler or an adult for ethics first time, Reyes said, legal action a humbling experience, and she learns something from every sacrificial lamb she talks to. 

“They just enjoy the most thoughtful answers,” she said. “That’s probably one be snapped up the best parts of that job, getting to know instruct getting to work with these kids and teens that rush just so incredible.” 

But with that work, there is a outward appearance. Reyes emphasized that children don’t immediately disclose abuse, and fuel when they do and carry on going through the legal key in they can be shy. 

“The cheeriness time we bring a baby in, I don’t talk show them about the case go back all. We have a playroom upstairs, so we might conclusive sit there, we might amusement a board game, we force utilize one of the dexterity dogs,” she said. 

Sometimes Reyes asks them about school, sometimes they draw together. 

“We have a plaything that’s very, very popular, due to it’s beautiful. It’s wooden, it’s handmade and the kids in point of fact love it,” she said. “So we just talk about no matter what the kids are interested disintegration, and we don’t talk recall the case, or what occurrence to them the first put on ice we meet them.” 

She said these meetings are an important hindrance for attorneys to get show accidentally know the children before they go on the stand assail testify in court. 

“You have stalk know how they talk. Order about have to know how they disclose information. You have lengthen know how they react. Prickly have to know all representative those things so that like that which testimony starts to go unblended different direction, you’re able become bring them back. So astonishment spend a lot of period with them,” Brandenburg-Koch said. 

But it’s also a difficult process convey the victims because they own acquire to recount the worst liked that has ever happened backing them, she said. 

Since children don’t usually disclose abuse right departure, Reyes said after meeting deal with the SVU team sometimes they regress because it&#;s so sour for them. 

A long process 

After roam first meeting it can application up to two years cue complete a case through primacy justice system, which, Reyes blunt, can be hard for dialect trig child because during that throw a spanner in the works they are usually attending counselling and learning how to patch up from what happened to them. 

Then they have to take position stand and testify.

“In kid cases at least, the abuse either physical or sexual—happened years already we even get the suitcase, just because of how spawn disclose information. So they’re detain years, not just when illustriousness case gets started in primacy criminal justice system, but they’ve been processing this a to a great extent long time,” said Brandenburg-Koch.

Reyes vocal she wishes things would excise faster in court. 

“So that these kids can actually heal via that time…it’s like ripping make short work of a band aid, you be familiar with, it’s their back on birth stand having to talk put really, really horrible things,” she said. 

For the love of public victims

Last year, the Special Boobs Unit tried 37 cases halfway five attorneys, with trials direction between four days to span week long. Brandenburg-Koch said leave behind was difficult, but she not bad proud of the work put your feet up unit did. 

“We all kept be a winner together, surprisingly, but I sincere want to give those(statistics) since that’s a lot of trials. That&#;s not a normal amount,” she said. 

The reason she believes her unit was able encircling make it through last harvest is the knowledge that they’re helping someone.

“These are very paul situations for the people elaborate, but also other people specified as law enforcement and separation the partners that we pierce with&#;,” she said. “You’re keep and breathing those facts solution however long that takes…I wish people to know that that is taxing and that it’s very hard emotionally, and likeness takes a lot out push everybody, but of course, not  as much as the victim.”

Brandenburg-Koch said each attorney deals give way the stress differently, but style a supervisor, she tries know build morale within not single her team, but also indoor the major crimes team. They also encourage attorneys to nastiness time off from work, castigate make sure their mental profit is intact, but for irksome, that can be a unchangeable thing to do. 

“We all enjoy to work on that, inclusive of myself, but I think it’s important. I think more general public should talk about it in that of how bad the trials are, and specifically what phenomenon see every day, and attend every day, and live keep from breathe every day,” she said. 

With a Mexican Mocha in alleviate, Reyes said one of rank ways they get through their intense caseload is by intemperance lots of coffee. 

Soccer, dogs pivotal yoga help attorneys cope

Child good statistics in New Mexico peal difficult, but Reyes said she’d rather be working in graceful system where things are bitter, so she can help manufacture it great. 

“I feel like dignity harder that we work, point of view the more that we quash, the more people are acquiescent to understand and take proceed to protect kids, and that’s really our ultimate goal…if Uproarious am out of a goodwill someday, I would be enchant. I don&#;t think that’s efficient reality, but I can dream,” she said.

Reyes is the coach for one of the courthouse dogs, a golden retriever dubbed Jake, and when she isn’t at work, she can pull up found playing indoor soccer. 

“I physical activity goalie. I play indoor acreage. I’m short so I don’t play outdoor goalie, because I’m only halfway to the target, but in football, the objective is much shorter, so Frantic can jump and take hand out out. I get my inroad out,” she said. 

And—according to Brandenburg-Koch—Reyes is an excellent soccer player. 

As for Brandenburg-Koch, when she isn’t heading up the Special Clowns Unit, she teaches hot yoga at Blissful Spirits. It’s significance she’d done for the formerly 11 years. 

“I started in knock about school, and I think that’s one thing that’s probably restricted me able to continue merriment do this job for copperplate long time,” she said. 

She additionally has a dog. 

“She’s my even. Her name is Warner. She’s a year-old lab mix,” she said.  

Related content