Lawyer for prison escape scheme suspect says he asked her to lie

FLORIDA — A man who swore to tell the whole truth in a court case that involves a big lie, was accused Wednesday of asking his attorney to break the rules.

Investigators said Willie Slater, who is one of the men charged in a Florida prison forgery scheme, used another local law office to help inmates forge their way out of prison.

His new attorney said she wasn’t willing to do anything underhanded and asked to be withdrawn from the case.

Investigators said Slater convinced his prison mate, convicted murderer Joseph Jenkins, to confess to Slater's 1998 home invasion, and Slater walked away from a life prison sentence.

Slater wanted to convince a judge Wednesday to fire his publicly-paid attorney and claimed she was ineffective, but defense attorney Trish Cashman turned the tables on him before he could state his case, by telling

the judge she wanted to quit.

“The basis is, I would have to violate some of the rules regulating professional conduct as a member of the Florida Bar," Cashman said.

The judge appointed a new lawyer for Slater.

Cashman told WFTV she could not say how Slater asked her to break rules.

“I can't tell you because it would violate the oath I took when I became a lawyer,” she said.

Investigators said Slater repaid Jenkins' favor by helping forge court orders that got Jenkins and murderer Charles Walker out of prison last year.

They were caught weeks later and then Jenkins exposed the big lie he told for slater four years ago.

The investigation into the forgery and escape scheme is still ongoing and more people could be arrested.

WFTV