Defense Begins in Trial for Man Accused of Conspiring to Use a Suspicious Will

The trial of Mark McCay is entering its second week in a Dallas Courtroom. McCay has been accused of conspiring to use a suspicious will, that has now been discredited, to inherit Bendtson’s partial ownership of 4949 Swiss avenue to the exclusion of Frances Ann Giron, Bendtsen’s daughter.

McCay, his partner John Burgess, and their former attorney Edwin Olsen, who has since been disbarred, are all facing charges and could each serve up to 20 years in prison if they are convicted. Burgess and Olsen are still waiting for their trial dates to be set.

McCay’s trial began today with two defense witnesses – Beatrice Grayson and Rhonda Decker Chandler. Both of these women were friends of the late Mary Ellen Bendtson and maintain current relationships with McCay. Both women testified of ongoing turmoil between Bendtson and her daughter, Giron, and described how Giron tried to seek guardianship of her mother. In contrast to that relationship, the women also testified that McCay and Bendtson had a strong, positive relationship and that Bendtson treated McCay like a son. The witnesses also said that Bendtsen did not suffer from mental decline in the time that they knew her.

The defense will continue its presentation on Tuesday.

See Defense Starts in 4949 Swiss Ave. Estate Case Trial, Estate of Denial, June 18, 2012.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse for bringing this article to my attention.