A single attorney has had more clients sentenced to death in federal court than any other defence lawyer in America, highlighting a deeply flawed system that is about to get worse. Frederick Duchardt, a Kansas City lawyer appointed by judges to lead capital cases, has seen four of his seven federal death penalty clients condemned to death, including German Sinisterra, executed in 1998 for a cartel murder.
Sinisterra, a Colombian immigrant and alleged cartel enforcer, was arrested after confessing to killing Julian Colon, whose body was found in a car boot in Kansas City. At trial, Duchardt focused on Sinisterra's character, presenting evidence of his loving family and impoverished upbringing. Despite this, the jury sentenced him to death in less than a day.
Since then, Duchardt has represented three more clients who received the death penalty: Wes Purkey, Lisa Montgomery, and Charles Hall. Two others received life sentences, and one was acquitted on retrial. This record makes Duchardt the lawyer with the most federal death sentences in the US.
Appeals lawyers have argued that Duchardt's performance was “deficient” and that he failed to present critical mitigating evidence, amounting to “ineffective assistance of counsel”. Duchardt rejects these claims, insisting his clients' sentences reflect the severity of their crimes, not his legal work.
