Bucks County Prosecutor Gets First Deputy Attorney General Job

Bucks County’s first assistant district attorney is heading to Harrisburg.

First Assistant District Attorney Michelle Henry, a 20-year veteran prosecutor, has been tapped to serve at District Attorney-elect Josh Shapiro’s first deputy attorney general once he takes office in January.

Shapiro’s office announced the pick Thursday morning and said “Henry has served in every possible role, including as an assistant D.A., deputy D.A., chief deputy, senior deputy, chief of major crimes and chief of child abuse.” They noted that she was appointed to serve as appointed district attorney during a vacancy in 2008 and returned to fill the seat for several weeks after former District Attorney David Heckler stepped down in late summer.

“I am very pleased that Michelle agreed to join my team as First Deputy Attorney General,” Shapiro said. “Throughout her exemplary career as a Pennsylvania prosecutor, she has tried every kind of tough case imaginable, making her extremely well qualified to take on this job. As the first woman to serve in this role in Commonwealth history, she’ll bring a new perspective to the job and ensure diversity in the Office of Attorney General, as I’ve promised.”

“It is an honor to have been selected by Attorney General-Elect Shapiro to serve as his First Deputy Attorney General,” Henry said. “Josh is a strong leader with integrity and vision, and I am excited to work with him and the dedicated staff of the Office of Attorney General to serve and protect the citizens of this great Commonwealth.”

From Shapiro’s office:

During her lengthy career, Henry has prosecuted every type of crime, ranging from homicide to child abuse, robbery, burglary and drug cases. In 2008, Henry re-tried to conviction Richard Laird for first-degree murder, after his original conviction and death sentence in a 1987 Bristol Township murder was overturned by a judge. Despite the passage of time, Henry obtained a death sentence for Laird in the brutal slaying of Anthony Milano, a gay artist, considered to be one of the first hate-crime prosecutions in Bucks County. In another major felony case, Henry successfully tried and convicted Joshua Benson in the rapes of 10 women, resulting in a lengthy prison term.

While serving as Bucks County District Attorney, Henry was instrumental in the founding and creation of the Children’s Advocacy Center, a non-profit agency that works with local law enforcement, victims’ advocates and health-care facilities to investigate and treat children who have been physically or sexually abused. The Center’s overriding goal is to reduce trauma to children during their involvement with the judicial system.

Ironically, Henry assisted Montgomery County prosecutors in their case against former Attorney General Kathleen Kane, who was convicted and sentenced to prison.

“You will not ever see a better prosecutor – with better judgment – than Michelle Henry,” Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said. “Bucks County’s grievous loss is Pennsylvania’s incredible gain.”

“Attorney General-Elect Shapiro could not have selected a more qualified or highly-regarded prosecutor than Michelle Henry to serve as First Deputy,” said Rich Long, executive director of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association. “Michelle brings extensive experience, tenacity, intelligence, compassion and nonpartisanship to this position. We congratulate the Attorney General-Elect on this outstanding appointment.”

Shapiro, a Democrat, was elected in November. While he is an attorney, he has never served as a prosecutor or defense attorney. He has served as a state representative, Montgomery County Commissioner and chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency.

Henry, 48, is a native of Greensburg, Westmoreland County and graduate of Allegheny College and the Widener University School of Law.