Authorities Examine Slain Prosecutor's Cases
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - It was Mark Hasse's job to take down criminals, and he went after some of the worst.
Now investigators say they are reviewing the cases he prosecuted, for possible clues into his murder.
In November, the US Attorney's Office credited the Kaufman County DA's office, for helping indict 34 alleged members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, many of them high ranking leaders.
"If, in fact, this turns out to be the assassination of a prosecutor by the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, we are about to see a war begin," said Mark Potok, the senior fellow with the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Potok says, the Aryan Brotherhood is the country's largest and most violent prison gang.
The Department of Justice indictment accuses them of murder, kidnapping, assault, narcotics distribution, and weapons trafficking.
"It's well known, that if you cross the brotherhood, you are very likely to die," said Potok.
Hasse also prosecuted a case that involved a Mexican drug cartel, after law enforcement stopped an 18 wheeler loaded with cocaine on U.S. Highway 175, with a broken taillight.
A man connected to the drug gang was found shot dead in a ditch a short time after the drug bust.
A licensed peace officer, known for carrying a gun, Hasse was a prosecutor, who colleagues say, knew the risks he was taking, but never backed down.
"It's simply the nature of the beast. When you deal with bad people on a regular basis, you know there's always a potential for these bad people to do something bad to you because they've already done something bad to somebody else," said Kaufman County DA, Mike McClelland.
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