A federal judge on Monday replaced the lawyer for Linda Ann Weston, the Philadelphia woman who could face the death penalty after being accused of running a ring that kidnapped, tortured, and enslaved mentally disabled people to collect their government benefit checks.
U.S. Magistrate Judge L. Felipe Restrepo told Weston that lawyer George S. Yacoubian Jr. "has been doing very noble work without a fee," but that she needed attorneys with experience in capital cases.
Restrepo appointed Patricia L. McKinney, and said he might add a second lawyer. He said Yacoubian could advise her.
