Suspect in Coos County murder case could be released due to lack of public defenders

COQUILLE, Oregon — A man accused of killing another man in Eastside Park earlier this month appeared in court for arraignment on Wednesday, but he has not yet been assigned a public defender.

Benjamin Remy appeared virtually for arraignment Wednesday morning. He is accused of shooting 36-year-old Braxton Busch in the park on August 13.

Remy is charged with premeditated murder.

Busch’s mother was present at the arraignment.

“My family has been completely torn apart. We are devastated because we have lost a child,” said Kathy Laney.

Remy was not represented by an attorney at the arraignment and must be assigned an attorney for the preliminary hearing on September 4.

County officials say there were complications in this case that prevented them from appointing a public defender directly.

According to public defenders, Remy was a former client and due to confidential information from previous cases, they could not represent him in this case.

“That means that this person is put on a list where the Oregon Public Defense Services Commission is looking for an attorney to represent him. And I’m pretty sure he’s at the top of the list when it comes to taking on this case,” said Stacey Lowe, Coos County Public Defender.

According to Lowe, the public defender crisis is still ongoing and is worsening due to the shortage of lawyers in the state of Oregon.

The lawyer who would represent Remy would have to have experience in murder cases.

If Remy is not assigned an attorney within a week, the charges will be dropped.

If convicted, Remy faces a life sentence of at least 25 years in prison.