Regarding the Jan. 7 editorial, "A family tragedy, a community response," about the New Year's weekend crash that claimed the life of a 4-year-old girl and injured family members: Under our criminal-justice system, once bond was set, Dr. Deborah Aaron had the right to post it and remain out of jail. In addition, she had the right to hire an attorney of her own choosing. Most importantly, all of us -- including The New Mexican -- have the obligation to presume her to be innocent, until, in the view of a jury of her peers, the state proves she is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The accident investigation is ongoing, and Dr. Aaron may not have caused the accident, even if she had been drinking. At this point, it would be speculative to say that she caused the accident by driving after having been drinking. The New Mexican, purportedly on behalf of a "horrified" and "angry" community, ought not convict her in the court of public opinion.

Too, the paper ought not cast aspersions on Dan Cron, her attorney, simply because he represented Scott Owens, who was exonerated in another traffic-fatality case. In that case, Cron fulfilled his professional responsibility to represent the interests of his (highly unpopular) client zealously, while the state failed to prove its case to the jury's satisfaction. To imply that Cron caused the jury to arrive at a verdict other than upon the evidence is disrespectful, not only of him, but also of our fellow citizens who served on that jury.

I do not know Dr. Aaron, have no point of view concerning the accident, and have no personal relationship with Cron, although I have observed him in court twice. I am writing simply because I object strongly to the paper's "lynch-mob" mentality.

Tom Carr is an attorney who lives in Santa Fe. He is a director of and volunteers with both Gerard's House and CASA First Judicial District to help bereaved, abused and neglected children in Northern New Mexico.