A former DeKalb County School District employee who was to testify in April in a criminal trial against the former superintendent has died.

The DeKalb Medical Examiner’s office said Cointa Moody appears to have succumbed to natural causes. An autopsy with official results was ongoing Friday. Erik Burton, spokesman for DeKalb District Attorney Robert James, said he learned of Moody’s death Thursday and had no comment about any possible effect on the case against former Superintendent Crawford Lewis, his chief operating officer Pat Pope (she has since changed her name to Pat Reid) and Reid’s former husband, architect Tony Pope.

Moody was Reid’s secretary and was a defendant until last spring when James dropped the indictment against her, saying she would testify for the prosecution. The indictment alleges a criminal conspiracy involving theft from the school district construction fund.

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