Police scrutinized over of adversary's death

Updated: Wednesday, 13 Mar 2013, 3:33 AM MDT
Published : Wednesday, 13 Mar 2013, 3:33 AM MDT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Mary Han was a successful civil rights attorney who for decades battled over the rights of abused women, accused prostitutes and the homeless. In the close-knit Albuquerque legal community, she was known as a spitfire whose fervor was often directed at one entity in particular: The city's troubled police department.

More than two years after Han was found dead in her garage in what authorities deemed a suicide, the department is under scrutiny amid questions over whether officers mishandled the investigation into the death of their former adversary. Han's relatives have sued, accusing the agency of shoddy police work that resulted in a flawed investigation. The state attorney general's office is also looking into the matter and has asked federal officials to examine the case.