Prosecutor's 'Hannibal Lecter' comparison was unauthorized and inappropriate, DA says
A prosecutor who called a California jail escapee “Hannibal Lecter” wasn’t speaking for the District Attorney’s office, the DA said in a statement on Tuesday.
Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said the prosecutor’s recent statements were “inappropriate, uninformed and rash,” report the Orange County Register and the Associated Press.
The “Hannibal Lecter” statement was made by Senior Deputy District Attorney Heather Brown, who told the Orange County Register on Monday that jail officials were too lax in handling Hossein Nayeri, one of three escaped inmates.
“My first reaction was: Oh, my God, they let Hannibal Lecter out,” Brown told the publication. “He is sophisticated, incredibly violent and cunning.”
Nayeri is accused with two other people of kidnapping the owner of a marijuana dispensary. Brown alleged that Nayeri tortured the victim with a blow torch and ordered his penis cut off. Nayeri’s trial was scheduled for Feb. 23.
