David Heilberg

David Heilberg
Information
Name	David Leonard Heilberg
Gender	Male
Known for	• Defense lawyer for Chris on his incest charge
Nationality	American
Occupation	Lawyer
Saga	Jail

David Leonard Heilberg is Chris's defense lawyer for his incest charge. Heilberg was assigned as Chris's lawyer by the Greene County's General District Court judge Kenneth Sneathern on 4 August 2021. Since Chris is too poor to hire a lawyer, he was granted one by the court, and unfortunately Heilberg didn’t know what he was getting into by agreeing to be his lawyer.

In order to get his client a reduced sentence, he has been trying to use Chris’s autism as an explanation for why he fucked his own mother.

Mentions by Chris

In Jail Letter - 11 May 2022, Chris mentioned writing to Heilberg to tell him negative stories about Barbara's character, including a claim that Barbara had offered herself for sex to Chris in 2012. Chris believed that Barbara was never questioned on account of her age.

In Jail Letter - 29 July 2022‎‎, Chris complained: "I've let Heilberg do his work; He hardly keeps me updated or communicates with me." Chris also claimed that Heilberg was frustrated with Region 10 and Greene County's social workers for doing nothing, and that Western State Hospital was supposed to have placed Chris into a group home but returned him to the jail in order to free up room.

In the media

Insider

In 7 August 2021, Insider published an article about their communications with Heilberg.

The lawyer representing Christine Weston Chandler, known online as Chris Chan, criticized Virginia's "critical shortage" of mental health facilities and said that mental health issues have played a role in Chandler's complicated online history. "Ms. Chandler's frequent and sometimes over the top presence on the internet is partly a product of mental health issues causing misguided attention seeking and often provocative engagement with others," David Heilberg said in a statement provided to Insider on Friday. Chandler, a popular online figure for over a decade, has been charged with a single count of incest after a leaked audio recording alleged she had sex with her 79-year-old mother. Chandler is known for creating the comic character "Sonichu," a cross between Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as being the target of trolling campaigns online since 2007. Chandler obsessives then spent years documenting her online history on a forum and Wiki page called CWCiki. Heilberg referenced the harassment faced by Chandler, who has said she has an autism spectrum disorder, and warned followers against blindly believing information about Chandler shared to online forums. "Under ordinary circumstances, people should not believe everything they learn on the internet," the statement said. "Everything you find there should always be filtered by skepticism that is not pursued enough. This applies even more to somebody who is legally disabled with mental health issues." Heilberg also suggested that online trolls who document Chandler's life have reached out to him for information on the case and said that "legitimate inquiries from journalists, supporters and nuisance trollers will be handled the same way." The lawyer added that "the criminal justice system is a poor vehicle to help people with mental health issues" and said that there is a great deal of "misinformation" circulating online about Chandler. "There are few people with actual personal knowledge about what happened," Heidelberg said in his statement. "Just because you heard or read something does not make it true." Heilberg asked those with "reliable information or evidence" to contact the Greene County Sheriff's Office. Chandler is currently being held in a Virginia jail without bond and her next court date is September 16.

Newsweek

On 9 August 2021, Heilberg had an interview with Newsweek.

The lawyer representing Christine Weston Chandler, the YouTube star also known as Chris Chan online, says it is important "not believe everything they learn on the internet" about his client and her case. Chandler was arrested on Sunday, August 1 and charged with one count of incest after the Green County Sheriff's Office received information about alleged "sex crimes against a family member, who resides in the Ruckersville area." In a statement issued to Newsweek, Chandler's attorney, David L Heilberg said much of the information being put out online in relation to the case needed to be "filtered by skepticism" especially as his client is "legally disabled with mental health issues." "Ms. Chandler's frequent and sometimes over-the-top presence on the internet is partly a product of mental health issues causing misguided attention seeking and often provocative engagement with others," Heilberg said. "Like almost anything on the internet, it is difficult to determine what is true. These principles hold no matter if you are a supporter, a legitimate journalist, or a trolling hater." Heilberg also indicated that online trolls had been in touch with him and trying to get information about Chandler's case. He said "legitimate inquiries from journalists, supporters, and nuisance trollers will be handled the same way." Chandler is currently being held at the Central Virginia regional jail without bond and is next due in court on September 16. In a hearing held to determine whether she would be granted bond, the 39-year-old reportedly stamped her feet after a request to gather personal belongings was rejected. Chandler's lawyer criticized the lack of support for his client in light of her well documented mental health issues. "The criminal justice system is a poor vehicle to help people with mental health issues," he told Newsweek. "There is also a critical shortage of mental health treatment facilities in Virginia. Providing somebody with the help that they need is complicated and will take time." Heilberg added that the "volume of misinformation" found on the internet about Chandler and the case online made it a "poor place to learn the truth." "There are few people with actual personal knowledge about what happened. Just because you heard or read something does not make it true." If found guilty of incest, she could face anywhere between one and 10 years in prison as well as a fine of up to $2,500 under Virginia state law. Heilberg has urged anyone "with actual personal knowledge about the people involved and the facts of what happened" to contact the Greene County Sheriff's Office.

USA Today

During September 2022, a rumor circulated from 4chan that Chris had escaped custody. USA Today published an article debunking the rumor.

A representative for Chandler, whose arrest was covered by People, CBS 19 and other news outlets , said reports of an escape were false. “I am unaware from any source that Ms. Chandler ‘escaped’ and any contrary stories or rumors are untrue,” attorney David Heilberg told USA TODAY. Heilberg added that there was “unique intense interest” and "online disinformation" surrounding the case.

References

    People