Shortly after he was named to represent alleged Toomer’s Corner poisoner Harvey Updyke, Philip Tyler requested he be removed from the case due to “numerous personal and family ties to Auburn University”, as well as his job as a part-time professor at the university.
Now, the attorney named as Tyler’s replacement is attempting the same maneuver.
An NBC affiliate in Alabama is reporting that Jerry Hauser filed a motion Tuesday morning requesting to be left off the case. Per the station’s website, Hauser claimed in his request that he has a conflict of interest in the case because his wife is the Head of the Department of Communication and Journalism at Auburn University.
Updyke was arrested last Wednesday and charged with first-degree criminal mischief for allegedly spreading a herbicide on the ground around the 130-year-old Toomer’s Corner oaks. He was released on a $50,000 bond late last week.