LINCOLN — Aubrey Trail, a person of interest in the death of Lincoln store clerk Sydney Loofe, argued Wednesday in court that he should be allowed to be his own defense lawyer against 14 federal fraud charges.
Trail, 51, told The World-Herald in a phone call a week ago that he was making the request because “I plan to win” and because he differed with the strategy of his court-appointed attorney, Korey Reiman of Lincoln.
But U.S. Magistrate Cheryl Zwart spent most of a 15-minute court hearing on Wednesday attempting to talk the ex-con out of it. Zwart said Trail lacked the legal experience to contest the 14 fraud charges he faces, which carry the potential penalty of 280 years behind bars.
Have you ever served as your own attorney? the judge asked. “And how did that turn out for you?”
“One and one,” Trail responded, indicating that it went well once.
Zwart postponed a ruling on Trail’s request after saying she thinks his main problem — not talking to his attorney enough — had been solved by a recent transfer to the Saline County Jail.
Trail and his girlfriend, Bailey Boswell, remain suspects in the death of Loofe, whose body was found in a south-central Nebraska farm field three months ago.
