Haun to Appeal Murder Conviction

Convicted murderer Diana Haun has filed a notice of appeal after being found guilty in September on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and conspiracy.

At the same time, Ventura County Superior Court Judge Frederick A. Jones issued a written court order this week ruling that Haun must pay the family of murder victim Sherri Dally $5,426 in economic losses.

Haun’s notice of appeal was filed with the Superior Court on Thursday, but had not yet been received by the Court of Appeal in Ventura by late Friday afternoon.

Officials at the Court of Appeal said that after being served with the notice, court reporters have 80 days in which to file the 12,000 pages of transcripts in the case that comprise the court record.

Although the Ventura County Public Defender’s Office filed the notice of appeal, local defense attorneys with the county will not represent the defendant in her appeal.

The case may be referred to the California Appellate Project in Los Angeles. That organization typically assigns defense lawyers to such cases, although local court officials said that might not happen in Haun’s case.

If the presiding judge at the Court of Appeal decides Haun does not qualify for a court-appointed attorney because she receives a substantial annuity from an accident as a teenager, she could be forced to hire her own lawyer to handle the appeal, court officials said.