Schreiner
Former Student Student Discovers Rewarding Career as Prosecutor
by Tara Maguire
Lucy
Cavazos ’93 remembers well the first time she prosecuted a case
as assistant district attorney for the 216th Judicial District.
“I remember standing up to recite the Pledge of Allegiance—Judge
(Stephen) Ables has the panel say the Pledge of Allegiance before every
trial—and when I said ‘With liberty and justice for all,’
I remember thinking wow, I am part of that. I am part of that system.
And what a privilege it is to be a part of the American criminal justice
system, which is the best system in the world.” And that is what
has kept Cavazos at the DA’s office in Kerrville for the past
seven years—and why when asked how
she handles the stress of being an assistant district attorney, she
answered: “I don’t see it as stressful—in fact when
I look back over the past seven years, I feel like I’ve been on
vacation. Obviously, there are days when I’m exhausted and stressed,
but I’m so fortunate to have a career I truly love.”
PERSERVERENCE PAYS OFF
Cavazos has wanted to be an attorney since she was a fourth grader living
in Bandera. At the time, she and her
family were living on a ranch where her father worked. She recalls many
professionals visiting the ranch, including attorneys. “I remember
looking at those men and thinking that’s what I wanted to do—be
an attorney. Of course, back then I
didn’t have a complete understanding of what an attorney did.”
Cavazos and her family later moved to Comfort where she attended Comfort
High School. She describes herself as a
mediocre student in high school due to a “lack of effort.”
After high school, she went to Schreiner College—“because
that’s what you were supposed to do after you graduated—go
to college.”
But Cavazos’ first semester at Schreiner was not a good one. She
says she didn’t apply herself, which led to poor grades, so she
left Schreiner and worked for a couple of years. “It was then
that I decided I wanted to find a career I really loved. I didn’t
want to be standing at the time clock waiting for it to turn to 5 o’clock.
I wanted to fulfill my childhood dream and become an attorney.”
So she returned to Schreiner, this time armed with drive and motivation.
“I came back and put in an effort—succeeding became something
I wanted to do,” she said. “All my professors were so supportive
and caring—they were really wonderful. And the more I succeeded,
the more supportive they were. It was a snowball effect. “I look
back and I realize that that was the first time in my life I succeeded.
I never had until I came to Schreiner.” Schreiner Professor of
Psychology David Byrne said Cavazos was one of his most memorable students.
“Lucy was a joy to teach because she ran with whatever we were
doing. She was always enthusiastic and interested in
discussing the issues related to the subject. She was an excellent student,
and she worked very hard,” he said. “I always knew she was
going to be successful.”
Four years later, Cavazos walked across the stage in the Edington Center
and received her diploma—a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
She also received the Elmore
Whitehurst Award for Excellence in Learning. That day was not only a
victory for her, but it also was a triumph for her entire family—Cavazos
is the first in her family to graduate from college.
Cavazos then attended Baylor University School of Law. Late in her first
year of law school, she took a Criminal Procedure course and was hooked.
“I realized then that I loved criminal law and how interesting
it was. That’s when I realized I wanted to be a prosecutor.”
Cavazos graduated from Baylor in August 1996, earning her juris doctor
degree. She then took the Bar Exam, received her passing results in
November and immediately
sent an application to the 216th District Attorney’s Office in
Kerrville.
“It was always my goal to get back to Kerrville. Luckily, when
I applied, there was an opening for an assistant DA,” she said.
District Attorney Bruce Curry said Cavazos stood out from the other
candidates during the interview process.
“What caught my attention about Lucy was how she handled my hypotheticals
about legal issues. The way she handled those really impressed me,”
Curry said. “And the fact that she had grown up in the area was
a plus. I knew she already had a base of
contacts here. All those things added together convinced me that she
could do the job not only adequately, but do it well.”
Curry hired Cavazos, and she started in January 1997.
“She has met and beat my expectations,” he said. “She
is now the primary trial prosecutor in this office and has probably
more felony trial experience than any attorney in this area.”
FROM BUNDLE OF NERVES TO NERVES OF STEEL
The 216th District Attorney’s Office prosecutes only felony cases
involving adults—everything from credit card
abuse and hot checks in excess of $1,500 to aggravated sexual assaults
and capital murders. (The County Attorney’s Office
prosecutes misdemeanors and cases involving juveniles.) With no trial
experience under her belt, Cavazos said she was nervous when she first
started.
“I used to stay up until 1 a.m. preparing for cases. During my
first few months at the DA’s office, I didn’t sleep the
night before a capital murder competency hearing in San
Antonio. I was going up against Preston Douglass, who was an excellent
defense attorney, and I figured he was going to
make mincemeat out of me.” But Cavazos won that hearing—and
as time went on
and she prosecuted more cases and spent more time in the courtroom,
that nervousness disappeared.
“I remember one day I got up to do an opening statement and I
thought wow, I’m not nervous. From that moment on, I didn’t
get nervous in the courtroom,” she said.
“The only time I get a little nervous is when we are waiting for
a verdict to come back. Whenever I hear ‘we have a verdict,’
my stomach goes into knots. Hearing those words is very nerve-wracking
to me.”
FOR THE FAMILIES
The 216th District Attorney’s Office handles cases in Kerr, Kendall,
Bandera and Gillespie counties. Each week is spent in a different county.
Grand jury is held on Mondays; trials are held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays;
and pre-trial hearings are held on Thursdays. The pre-trial docket in
Kerr County is usually heavy. A recent September pre-trial docket in
Kerr County included more than 75 cases—ranging from pleas to
contested motions to sentencing hearings. The courtroom was jampacked
with defendants, families and supporters, defense attorneys, probation
officers and jailers. And there—amid all the chaos—was Cavazos,
looking calm and confident.
Cavazos has tried about a dozen cases a year since she started, including
seven capital murder cases. She and Curry work closely together on all
cases, she said. And their record is impressive—only five not
guilty verdicts since she started, and all seven of the capital murder
defendants were convicted and, where the State sought the death penalty,
it was assessed by the jury. None of Cavazos’ convictions have
been reversed on appeal.
“That’s
something I—and most attorneys —keep in mind when you’re
trying a case—the appeal process. You have to be familiar with
current law so you don’t do anything that will get your case reversed,”
she said. Currently, there is one capital murder case pending in the
216th Judicial District. The case involves a double murder that occurred
in Comfort. The defendant is currently being held in jail until it is
determined whether he is competent to stand trial. If the case goes
to trial, Cavazos will spend countless hours preparing for a trial that
could last weeks. But for Cavazos, it will be a privilege to represent
the State of Texas—and more importantly, the victims’ families.
“The victims’ families don’t have a say who represents
them. They are helpless. Their loved ones have been brutally murdered,
and their lives have been changed forever. They have no control. They
rely on us completely to get justice for their loved ones. “But
even with all that, I don’t feel pressure because I know I am
going to be very well prepared and do the best possible job I can—and
that’s all I can do.” 