Virginia lawyer Jonathan Bourlier has been named interim Commonwealth Attorney in Dinwiddie County, tasking him with the responsibility of prosecuting crimes, something he has no experience doing.
Bourlier is currently running to be Dinwiddie County’s Commonwealth’s Attorney but has been appointed as interim attorney until the upcoming November election. Bourlier will take over the prosecution of those charged with Irvo Otieno’s murder, a high profile case that has garnered national attention, according to Wavy.
“I don’t have any experience prosecuting cases. Years of defending them, which obviously in order to defend the case you have to know what you have to be proved,” Bourlier said in an interview with ABC 8.
Otieno was arrested by Henrico County Police March 3 after allegedly assaulting police officers, according to a police report.
Otieno was taken to a mental health facility in Dinwiddie County March 6, where he died during the intake process due to being “smothered,” according to CNN.
Seven deputies and three hospital workers were initially charged with second-degree murder, according to CNN. Since then, two of the hospital workers’ charges have been dropped — a decision made by Bourlier’s predecessor. (RELATED: 10 People Facing Murder Charges After Death Of Man At Mental Health Facility)
A lawyer running to be Dinwiddie’s next commonwealth’s attorney was picked to fill the interim role despite having no experience prosecuting cases, drawing concerns from his opponent over his ability to lead the Irvo Otieno death case.https://t.co/Xn8vPmZpgA
— WAVY TV 10 (@WAVY_News) June 23, 2023
Bourlier was asked how he felt about receiving the appointment.
“The way that I view it and that our staff does is that it is as important as any other case but especially any other case where there’s a life that’s been lost.”
“I don’t feel any winner in the tragedy at all and certainly not in this case,” Bourlier told ABC 8.
“I’m very concerned and our citizens should be too. I still need to find out the how and why of it all, but I can’t change it,” Amanda Mann, Bourlier’s opponent in the general election, told ABC 8.