By Gretchen Ross - bio | email | Twitter
Posted by Sarah Harlan - email
VANDERBURGH CO., IN (WFIE) - A defense team was appointed Tuesday for Jeffrey Weisheit, accused of setting fire to a home that killed his girlfriend's children.
Now, the county is trying to figure out how it will handle the additional expense of a death penalty trial.
Even though the trial is not scheduled to start until next April, County Councilman Russ Lloyd Junior said the council must start preparing now to find ways to cover trial costs, which he estimates could total over $200,000.
Lloyd said the defense team will hire its own arson investigator as well as paralegals and clerical staff.
Lloyd said since the case was not budgeted, the council can use extra money that is already set aside for unexpected expenses.
Councilman Lloyd said money for the trial is money that could have been spent elsewhere.
"Salaries, bridges, paving roads," Lloyd said. "So it's an unfortunate thing, and it's going to be an ongoing cost but I don't know if anybody can totally budget this thing."
Lloyd said if the county does end up spending over $200,000 on the trial, the state will reimburse the county up to 50 percent.
He said the council plans to discuss the finances of the case coming up at their next meeting on May 5.
©2010 WFIE. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
