Judge Erleigh Norville Wiley, a Forney resident, addressed the media on Thursday afternoon, April 11, in front of the Kaufman County Courthouse. Wiley has been appointed by Governor Perry as the new Kaufman County District Attorney, and awaits a Texas Senate vote of confirmation, which she said may come as early as next Wednesday. Wiley will take over the remainder of slain D.A. Mike McLelland's term of office, which is up in the first 2014 county election.
Judge Erleigh Norville Wiley, a Forney resident, addressed the media on Thursday afternoon, April 11, in front of the Kaufman County Courthouse. Wiley has been appointed by Governor Perry as the new Kaufman County District Attorney, and awaits a Texas Senate vote of confirmation, which she said may come as early as next Wednesday. Wiley will take over the remainder of slain D.A. Mike McLelland's term of office, which is up in the first 2014 county election.
Related: Judge Erleigh Norville Wiley appointed as new Kaufman County D.A.
Wiley, a 49 year-old Republican, thanked Governor Perry for his confidence in her and for his deep concern for the people in Kaufman County. She said, “Our community has been shocked and devastated by the horrific murders of Mark Hasse, and Mike and Cynthia McLelland.” She thanked the local, state and federal law enforcement agencies working to solve the murders, and expressed her sorrow for what the Hasse and McLelland families are going through.
Wiley called the Kaufman D.A. staff “rock solid” and gave credit to Mike McLelland for putting the team together. She said, “His passion for justice will be a continued inspiration for all of us as we move forward.” Noting that she grew up in Kaufman County, she addressed residents by saying that she wants them to know that the county's district attorney's office is “fully operational” and daily business is moving forward. Wiley said, “I am confident that brighter days are ahead for Kaufman County, and I am honored and I am ready to get to work.”
Wiley's husband, Aaron Wiley, is a prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District, and according to Judge Wiley, he is concerned for her safety and their family's safety. Despite that concern, she spoke of “stepping up” and said, “The way I was born and raised, if there is something that needs to be done, then we just need to do it.”
Despite the seriousness of her new role as Kaufman County D.A. and her acknowledgement that the job can be a dangerous one, Judge Wiley was able to cause laughter among the media with lighthearted moments. She appeared at ease with her soon to be position of district attorney, but like everyone else, she's not likely to be truly at ease until the killer or killers of the McLellands and Mark Hasse are caught.
