Hung jury in trial of woman accused of bilking elderly Boulder man

Hung jury in trial of woman accused of bilking elderly Boulder man


By Joe Rubino Camera Staff Writerdailycamera.com

Posted: 05/24/2012 09:19:33 PM MDT

Julianna Rigby A jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict Thursday in the trial of a woman accused of trying to swindle an elderly Boulder man into leaving much of his nearly $1 million estate to her.

A 12-person jury spent seven hours deliberating the case against Julianna Rigby, 50, of Fort Collins. Rigby was facing one count of attempted theft after prosecutors say she befriended retired University of Colorado professor Louis Hall and tried to manipulate him into changing his will before he died in 2011 at the age of 93.

The jury voted 9-2 in favor of conviction, with one undecided juror. The result was a mistrial.

The Boulder County District Attorney's Office plans to retry the case, and a status hearing for the next trial is already scheduled for 8:15 a.m. June 8, prosecutor Jane Walsh said.

"We feel that (prosecuting) this type of exploitation of the elderly is a priority," Walsh said.

Rigby's attorney, Jason Cuerdon, argued during the trial that Rigby never took advantage of Hall or manipulated him but was merely trying to help a man whom she cared for deeply.

Rigby first met Hall while she was working as a receptionist at a Boulder ophthalmologist's office in 2007. She reconnected with him in 2010 -- as he was dying of bone cancer -- at first having breakfast with him and taking him to doctor's appointments.

Eventually she moved into his house on Sioux Drive and, prosecutors say, began trying to turn him away from his family and financial advisers. In December 2010, two months after Rigby moved in with him, Hall changed his will, giving much of his estate to "my friend Julianna Rigby," instead of one of his nieces as his original will outlined.

A probate and estate planning attorney obtained a protection order keeping Rigby away from Hall, and she was later removed from the will.

According to court documents, Hall's home was worth between $400,000 and $450,000, and he had between $520,000 and $570,000 in various bank accounts and investments.

Rigby's attorney said the prosecution's allegations that she pressured Hall to fire his attorney and conservator were false, and that Hall proposed it himself because of the rates they were charging. He also pointed out that in the end, Rigby did not receive any money from Hall's estate.


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http://www.coloradodaily.com/news/ci_20706399/hung-jury-trial-woman-accused-bilking-elderly-boulder#axzz1wAdsqXju