Attorney Bill Hines will represent Carroll and said it's possible he will seek a change of venue for his client because of local media coverage of the case.
By Tony Plohetski
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, August 09, 2008
The parents of a girl who said she was a victim of child-rape suspect Billy Dan Carroll tried to block him from finalizing his divorce Friday, saying that they were entitled to some of the Carrolls' money and property before the assets were divided.
In a court petition, the parents, whose efforts were not successful, accused Carroll of trying to defraud his victims by divorcing and "ridding himself of all his assets."
Billy Dan Carroll's attorney Bill Hines said later in state District Court in Travis County that his client's only property "was the toilet paper in his jail cell."
Carroll, 54, was indicted last month on multiple charges, including aggravated assault of a child and indecency with a child. Police have said that he is accused of abusing six children. He was arrested in May.
The divorce records show that the parents, who are not identified, seek damages "of a sufficient size to help raise public awareness of the devastation such acts cause." The documents said that their daughter was 7 years old when she was molested and that she had been friends with one of Carroll's daughters.
The revelations were part of several developments Friday in what authorities have called one of the worst child-sex cases in Austin history.
A state district judge appointed an attorney to represent Carroll hours after the divorce settlement, in which most of the couple's money and property was awarded to his wife, Kathy Carroll.
Police have said they seized a videotape from Carroll's home in which he is seen having sex with children. Investigators said one of the girls was as young as 2.
Carroll is also accused of videotaping a 13-year-old girl with a hidden camera in his home and drugging a victim with a narcotic-laced slushy drink.
Police said Carroll met one victim, an 8-year-old girl, through his volunteer work with Court Appointed Special Advocates of Travis County, an organization that assists abused and neglected children.
The decision by Judge Melissa Goodwin to appoint an attorney for Carroll came after prosecutors and Hines argued about whether the former entrepreneur who ran a regional court reporting business should be declared indigent.
During Friday's hearing, Carroll was escorted into the courtroom in handcuffs and a jail jumpsuit. He stood before Goodwin with his lawyer to his right and a prosecutor to his left.
Hines told Goodwin that his client was left with only credit card debt - Hines later said the amount was $50,000 to $60,000 - and a Toyota sport-utility vehicle on which he owed more than the car was worth.
Goodwin said she would reluctantly appoint Hines to continue representing Carroll. "I'm not wild about it," she said, "but I don't see that I have any choice."
Divorce records show that Kathy Carroll has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, hampering her ability to support herself and the couple's children.
After the hearing, Hines said that he might try to have Billy Dan Carroll's trial moved to a different county because of media attention. Hines also said a plea in the case is "always a possibility."
Asked about Carroll's emotional state, Hines said, "He's devastated, he's scared and he's looking forward to someone finally helping him in this case."
