MANITOWOC – Katrina B. Baur, 33, a Manitowoc woman facing neglect charges in the death of her 3-year-old son Elijah Vue, will be assigned a new attorney after Manitowoc County Circuit Court Judge Anthony Lambrecht approved her request to remove attorney Amber Gratz from the case.
Baur requested the change in a July 2 letter to Lambrecht. During a July 13 motion hearing, both Gratz and District Attorney Jacalyn LaBre opposed the request.
Kathy Pakes, director of the Assigned Counsel Division in the State Public Defender’s Office, also opposed the request. She said Gratz is a “competent and diligent attorney who has been working on this case for quite some time now,” according to court records.
Pakes also said finding a new public defender for Baur could take some time and may affect the trial dates currently set for April.
Why Katrina Baur is getting a new attorney in Elijah Vue case
Gratz told Lambrecht she believed her relationship with Baur could still be repaired. Baur said she did not believe the relationship could be repaired and still wanted a new attorney.
Lambrecht approved the request, citing concerns over possible appeals if it was not granted.
The judge also noted in court records that “the court knows Attorney Gratz to be a professional attorney and this is not a reflection of her performance.”
The decision means Baur’s defense will have to transition to another attorney months before her scheduled joint trial with Jesse Vang.
The change could affect pretrial deadlines or the April trial schedule, depending on how quickly a new attorney is appointed or retained.
Before the motion hearing, Baur had been in contact with attorneys from Kirk Obear and Associates. An attorney from that firm asked about possibly representing Baur “pro bono,” or for free. Lambrecht said they would have until Aug. 14 to notify the court if Baur wants to take that route.
Baur’s case is set for a status conference Aug. 20.
What the attorney change could mean for Katrina Baur’s trial
Baur and Jesse Vang, 41, are scheduled for a joint jury trial starting April 14, 2027, on charges related to Elijah’s death and the hiding of his body.
The toddler disappeared in February 2024, and his remains were found Sept. 7, 2024, by civilians on private property a little more than 3 miles from where Elijah had disappeared. Prosecutors said Baur intentionally sent her 3-year-old son to live with Vang, her boyfriend, in Two Rivers for “disciplinary reasons.”
Baur faces felony charges of chronic neglect of a child in which the consequence is death and neglecting a child. She also is charged with two misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing an officer.
She pleaded not guilty to all charges during an arraignment Oct. 30, 2024. She is being held in Manitowoc County Jail on a $400,000 cash bond.
Baur’s case is being heard by Lambrecht and prosecuted by LaBre. Gratz is no longer representing Baur, but a new attorney has not yet been appointed.
Jesse Vang charged with child abuse causing death, hiding a corpse
Vang is charged in Vue’s death and with hiding his body on wooded private property near Two Rivers for several months before it was found by civilians.
Vang faces felony charges of child abuse causing death, hiding a corpse and chronic neglect of a child, along with a misdemeanor count of resisting or obstructing an officer.
His case is also being heard by Lambrecht and prosecuted by LaBre. Attorneys Joel Mogren and Jeffrey Jensen Sr. are representing Vang.
He is being held in the Manitowoc County Jail on a $500,000 cash bond.
Contact Alisa M. Schafer at aschafer@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: What Katrina Baur’s attorney change means for trial in Elijah Vue case
Reporting by Alisa M. Schafer, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter / Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
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By Alisa M. Schafer, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter | USA TODAY Network
