COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Pretrial costs in the triple-murder case against Joseph Edward Duncan III exceeded $600,000, nearly two-thirds for his defense, before a plea agreement was reached, a newspaper reported.
According to records obtained by The Spokesman-Review of Spokane for a report published Friday, the Kootenai County public defender’s office spent about $400,000, county investigative and other costs surpassed $200,000 and the prosecutor’s office had about $3,600 in related expenses.
The records also give clues to the defense strategy and glimpses into Duncan’s behavior in jail.
A trial was averted last week by a last-minute plea agreement in which Duncan could still face the death penalty. He also faces a separate federal trial on related charges.
Of the defense cost, which includes tens of thousands of dollars paid to private investigators and experts, all but a $10,000 deductible is covered by the Idaho Capital Crimes Defense Fund, a pool into which counties pay to cover costs in potential death penalty cases.
The county gets no assistance for the costs of the criminal investigation and preparation of the case against Duncan, including $15,000 for courtroom modifications, improvements and upgrades, and trial security measures.
Duncan, 43, a native of Tacoma, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the May 2005 deaths of Brenda Kay Groene, 40; her fiance, Mark Edward McKenzie, 37; and her 13-year-old son, Slade Vincent Groene. He also pleaded guilty to kidnapping in the abduction of Shasta Kay Groene, then 8, and Dylan James Groene, 9. The younger boy’s remains were later found at a remote campsite near St. Regis, Mont.
Some backers of a plea agreement said avoiding a trial could save the county $1 million, but Prosecutor William J. Douglas said he didn’t know how that figure was derived. In a letter to commissioners last spring, he wrote that costs to the county would likely be much lower.
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