John Young Requests a New Attorney and It's Not Chris Hartman

SAN ANGELO, TX -- While in prison, former Sweetwater attorney John Stacy Young is requesting a new attorney to handle the appeal of his convictions on two counts of forgery, one of theft and one of money laundering.  

Attorney Aaron Clements in May of 2018 was appointed Young's appeals court attorney.  Clements filed a motion to withdraw as Young's attorney because he is now employed by the Dickens County Attorney's office.  The motion to withdraw requests David Guinn of the Hurley & Guinn law firm in Lubbock be appointed Young's new attorney.  

The motion was filed with the 119th District Court in Tom Green County where visiting District Judge Brock Jones presided over Young's trial.  

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Above: Sweetwater attorney Chris Hartman and his teenaged girlfriend the week he testified in Tom Green County in the John Young trial. (Facebook)

Young was convicted by a Tom Green County jury in Nov. 2017 following a month long trial.  Young was accused of conspiring with Ray Zapata and Chris Hartman to forge the will of John Sullivan and gain control of Sullivan's $8 million estate which included millions of dollars in real estate, an illegal offshore account in Liechtenstein, and an estate in Spain.  

Testimony in the sensational trial showed Zapata found Sullivan dead in his home.  Sullivan was out on $2 million bond for two counts of online solicitation of a minor and Zapata was his bail bondsman.  Sullivan's body was cremated and a handwritten will Zapata allegedly found in the back of a prayer book was probated leaving the entire estate to Young.  Young hired Hartman to probate the will.  Hartman was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator with Zapata and Young. 

Zapata was convicted of forgery, theft and money laundering and was sentenced to six months in jail.  Zapata has appealed his conviction.

Young was sentenced to eleven years in prison and is in prison awaiting his appeal.