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County faces higher indigent-defense costs after special counsel appointed in double-homicide case
Summary
A county official said budget line item for special-counsel hire rose sharply because a double-homicide indigent defense case required a private attorney at roughly $150 per hour; the final expense will depend on motions and whether a jury trial occurs.
A county official who identified himself as John told the committee that a spike in the special-attorney hire line reflects assignments in a double-homicide indigent-defense matter. "That is the special attorney hire. That's related to an indigent client that is certainly entitled to free counsel. He's in custody on a double murder charge," John said, adding that the appointed special counsel bills at "$150 an hour" per the court practice cited.
John said he did not yet know the final cost, noting extensive motion practice and the possibility of a jury trial or plea. Committee members asked whether expert witness fees and other court-services costs were budgeted; John said those items are typically on the court-services line and cited typical fees (fitness evaluations around $1,000). The committee discussed how unexpected line items are typically handled through finance-committee budget amendments if a trial proceeds in a new fiscal year.
