The former leaders of the company Nexus are once again changing attorneys in a criminal case where they stand accused of financially exploiting a young man. And one of the leaders is under the court's scrutiny for allegedly assaulting that man. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
Michael Donovan, his husband Richard Moore, and their former employee Timothy Shipe have been charged with the financial exploitation of Zachary Cruz. The three defendants were all present in the Augusta County Circuit Court on Friday. They're accused of stealing more than $400,000 that Cruz received from his mother's life insurance policy in 2022. Moore and Donovan took Cruz in after the Parkland school shooting committed by Cruz's brother.
As the News Leader previously reported, Donovan was arrested for allegedly assaulting Cruz on March 8th. He was released on bond. On Friday, prosecutors asked the court to put Donovan back in jail due to the "great safety risk" they say he poses to Cruz.
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Katie Jackson told WMRA after the hearing that Cruz has since moved out of Donovan and Moore's home, and she thinks he'll be "more cooperative" with her office now. She told the judge that Cruz had expressed "extreme fear" of Donovan and Moore to Adult Protective Services workers, and described "severe abuse" at their hands. Donovan argued that Cruz had been "the aggressor" on March 8th, and that he had not contacted Cruz in the past two weeks, and should remain free.
Donovan and Moore's most recent attorney, John D. Hooker, withdrew from the case, leaving them without representation at Friday's hearing. Hooker had cited serious medical issues in the past few months. Judge Sean Workowski appointed separate attorneys for each of them, and set a new hearing date of April 8th to consider changing or revoking Donovan's bond in light of the assault charge. He said the pair were at liberty to retain new counsel themselves, with the expectation that the case will be tried in August without further delay.
The judge dismissed the failure-to-appear charges that Donovan and Moore had garnered when they appeared by phone call for the last pretrial hearing. Hooker accepted the blame for erroneously telling them they could participate by phone from his office in Virginia Beach.
