( CNN ) -- Brandi Fernandez , interim district attorney for Kaufman County , is a very capable and competent prosecutor , one of the Texas county 's top elected officials says . Fernandez , who was the top assistant before Mike McLelland and his wife were slain in their home , has worked for the department for the past nine years . County Judge Bruce Wood called her a very capable attorney . Fernandez has earned a reputation as a tough opponent for defense lawyers . `` She definitely knows what she 's doing , '' Wade Gent , a criminal defense attorney from Kaufman told CNN Dallas affiliate WFAA . `` For the most part , she 's by the book , no-nonsense and will do the job . I have no doubt she is capable of handling the pressure ; Brandi is very experienced , very dedicated . '' Another defense attorney told the Dallas Morning News that Fernandez was a `` beast . '' `` She strikes fear in some people 's hearts , '' Eric Smenner told the paper , adding that she was tougher to negotiate plea deals with than other prosecutors , but that compromise was n't impossible . Fernandez , 42 , was the lead prosecutor in a case against a member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas , the Kaufman Herald reported in August . James Patrick Crawford was found guilty on six charges in connection with what the paper called a gang-related shooting in 2011 . She has worked at the DA 's office since 2004 , according to a bio released by the agency . She was picked by the late McLelland to be the first assistant district attorney when he took office in 2010 , a post she also held from 2004 to 2006 . Before that , Fernandez was an assistant district attorney for the 106th Judicial District Attorney 's Office in north Texas . Fernandez graduated from Texas Tech University School of Law in 1996 . She was a member of the board of barristers and national mock trial team . She will serve as interim DA until Gov . Rick Perry picks a successor .
Brandi Fernandez has worked for Kaufman County for nine years . She was first assistant district attorney when picked to fill position of fallen DA . County official calls her very capable . Defense attorney tells newspaper she is a `` beast ''