Allegations of judicial tampering against a St. Louis mom who lost custody of her teenage daughter two years ago have been withdrawn.
“We entered an order of ‘Nolle Prosequi’ at the request of the victim so we will not prosecute this case,” said Christopher King, public information officer for the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney.
Angela Freiner was facing seven years in prison for sending an email to former St. Louis County associate circuit Judge Nicole Zellweger warning her of the ruling’s consequences.
“I just think the whole system's corrupt, and they all work together to keep the people in submission basically,” Freiner alleged. “I did not expect that call from standby counsel. I was actually shocked.”
Zellweger has since been elevated to Circuit Court Judge by Gov. Mike Parson in January 2023.
Nolle prosequi is a formal notice of abandonment of a suit or legal action by a prosecutor or plaintiff.
"Nolle prosequi is the State's power to dismiss their own case," said Freiner's standby counsel Sam Crosby. "It's a voluntary dismissal, meaning they retain the right to refile. Having never worked in a prosecutor's office, I can't comment on how easy it would be to refile."
A jury trial that had been scheduled for May 1 and rescheduled for June 1 has now been canceled.
"I was appointed as stand-by counsel, meaning should the case go to trial, I would be available to answer any questions Ms. Freiner might have regarding trial procedure," Crosby told the St. Louis Record.
Documents obtained by the St. Louis Record state that Judge Zellweger, who was presiding over a custody dispute involving Freiner's daughter, had received multiple emails from Freiner in the past including one on March 5, 2021, that said:
"THE COURT DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO HOLD MY DAUGHTER AGAINST HER WILL OR TRAFFIC HER ACROSS THE COUNTRY! IF SHE IS NOT RETURNED TO ME TODAY THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES FOR YOUR CONDUCT. YOU HAVE STEPPED OVER THE LINE FOR ANY TIME OF IMMUNITY AS A JUDGE!"
Freiner’s language was perceived as threatening and she was charged with tampering with a judicial officer, which is a Class D felony under Missouri law.
Freiner was arrested, jailed, and subsequently released.
As previously reported in the St. Louis Record, Freiner’s daughter, Dalilah Judy, was placed in the custody of her uncle David Judy.
According to the Boone County Sheriff's Website in Arkansas, Steven Scott Judy, who is Dalilah’s grandfather, was convicted of forcible rape, assault with a deadly weapon, sexual battery, and restraint of a 26 to 28-year-old female.
“I have been messaging her dad and he won't respond to me,” Freiner told the St. Louis Record. “Two years without anything.”
But Freiner has not given up hope on reuniting with her daughter.
“I'm going to file for a motion to modify custody again, especially now with these charges being withdrawn because they used that against me in the last trial in May of last year so I'm going to file for that and keep fighting,” Freiner added. “There's nothing else I can do.”