Baby Lisa custody lawyer defends twin brother switcheroo in court case

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The woman representing the mother of Baby Lisa Irwin’s half brother in a custody battle is defending a courtroom move last week where she brought a defendant’s twin brother to court instead of the actual suspect.

“Ms. Savory only desired to help circumvent a common practice of sending the wrong man to prison,” the attorney said in a statement she released to NBC Action News. “Her client is innocent of the charge of taking a purse.”

Prosecutors have asked the judge to remove Savory from the case and consider disciplinary action.

According to documents released by the Jackson County Prosecutor’s office, the attorney made a “mockery” of courtroom proceedings during the robbery trial last Wednesday .

According to the prosecution’s motion, the judge believed the twin brother was actually the defendant, Darrel W. White, Jr. and the victim identified the twin as the man who stole her purse.

The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office said in court papers that the twin, Darion White had “nearly identical facial features” as the defendant, Darrel White, Jr. Savory disagrees and stated she was trying to prevent “a common practice of sending the wrong man to prison.”

“The current situation being faced by the parties in the case of State of Missouri v. Darrel White is the first time Ms. Dorothy L. Savory has experienced a court hearing such as this, in which the complaining witness, under oath, identifies a person who has a drastically different skin complexion, height, weight and hairstyle than the defendant,” Savory wrote in the statement.

She wrote that she considered the strategy “reasonable at the time” and she is prepared to accept “any consequences for her inactions and actions.”

Neither Savory nor the attorneys representing Jeremy Irwin have commented about the custody battle involving Baby Lisa’s half brother since a motion for a gag order earlier in December.