'Fear and Loathing' writer backs Auman's appeal

'We all have a stake in the judicial system working properly,' says Hunter S. Thompson

Jeff Kass, News Staff Writer

Monday, April 29, 2002

He has taken on the Hell's Angels, presidential politics and Americana.

Now, Woody Creek writer Hunter S. Thompson is in the mix as one of the state's most high-profile cop killings goes to the court of appeals.

Thompson took up Lisl Auman's cause after receiving a prison letter from her.

"I don't know Lisl Auman. I've never met her," said Thompson, whose landmark books include Hell's Angels; Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72; and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Auman was convicted of felony murder for her role in the 1997 shooting death of Denver police officer Bruce VanderJagt, although she was handcuffed and sitting in a squad car when the shooting occurred.

Last week, Thompson said he believes the political and legal stars misaligned to produce a "witchbag of strange problems" that convicted Auman, 26.

"We all have a stake in the judicial system working properly, regardless of who is on trial," he said, later adding, "Today it's Lisl; tomorrow it's your daughter."

Thompson, 64, wrote about Auman's case in his ESPN.com columns that mix sports and politics. Hits on her Web site, www.lisl.com, ballooned from 7,000 in two years to more than 45,000 in two months.

Thompson also convinced the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers to file an amicus, or friend of the court brief, on her behalf. A "Free Lisl!" rally on the Capitol steps last year featured Thompson and others he had brought into the cause, such as singer Warren Zevon.

"There's no doubt that celebrity interest in a given case significantly influences public opinion," said legal analyst Scott Robinson.

But Robinson and others say the star power stops at the courtroom doors.

"The public opinion is pretty much irrelevant," said Philip Cherner, president of the Colorado criminal defense bar. "What matters is what happens in the courts, fortunately."

Yet Thompson's interest has buoyed Auman's family.

"We are very, very blessed to have him in our corner," said Auman's mother, Colleen Auerbach.

Support for Auman rankles others.

Gail VanderJagt Rice, the slain officer's older sister, opposes the felony murder law that put Auman in prison. But she feels Auman and her supporters are using the law as a scapegoat.

"If this law were not in effect, she (Auman) would have probably been sentenced to 20 or 30 years for what she had been found guilty of, and thought about what she did wrong," VanderJagt Rice said from her home in suburban Chicago. "Instead, she can look at herself as the unfair victim of this law.

"She's never thought about what she's done to those of us who loved Bruce, and all the lives she's ripped apart."

VanderJagt Rice will not attend Tuesday's hearing. VanderJagt's widow, Anna, could not be reached for comment.

Thompson also will not attend oral arguments.

"It's not a political situation," he said.