The price tag for the first two Virginia sniper trials is nearing $3 million in public funds, a figure that soars past $4 million when law enforcement and prosecutor salaries are taken into account, according to newly released financial records.
Although few criticize the costs involved in successfully prosecuting John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo at separate murder trials last fall — two of the most expensive criminal cases in the state’s history — many people are finding the prospect of additional prosecutions hard to justify.
"It’s over, and that’s a lot of money to be spending on something that’s over," said Nadine Bentley of Falls Church, Va., who was loading remodeling supplies into her car Friday outside the Fairfax County Home Depot where FBI analyst Linda Franklin was shot to death in a sniper attack. "Due process has taken place. We could be spending that money on education or saving children or saving animals. That’s our tax money."
Mindful of public opinion, Virginia prosecutors are weighing the costs in their decisions about any future trials in the five sniper cases in the state. Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Horan, who prosecuted Malvo, said he wants to try Muhammad in Fairfax to obtain an "insurance policy" in case problems arise on appeal. Moreover, the prosecutor said, the costs would be far less at a second trial because most of the legal preparation has been done and the case is virtually ready to go.
Muhammad was convicted of capital murder by a Virginia Beach jury and sentenced to death Tuesday for the Oct. 9, 2002, slaying of Dean Meyers, 53, at a gas station north of Manassas. A Chesapeake jury convicted Malvo of capital murder for Franklin’s Oct. 14, 2002, slaying, and he was sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday. The pair were linked to 13 shootings, 10 of them fatal, in the Washington region.
Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul Ebert said he is going to postpone a decision on prosecuting Malvo — a trial that would seek the death penalty for the 19-year-old — until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the acceptability of executing juveniles. Malvo was 17 at the time of the sniper attacks. That decision was made partly to save money and to prevent victims and witnesses from having to go through a trial that ultimately could have no meaning, depending on the high court’s ruling, Ebert said.
According to Prince William Circuit Court financial records released this week, Muhammad’s defense on capital murder charges cost taxpayers $948,724 through November, when he was convicted after a six-week trial. That figure is expected to top $1 million within days, when attorneys are expected to file for additional fees related to Muhammad’s sentencing.
The records show that Jonathan Shapiro and Peter Greenspun’s law offices have been paid $663,720 for their work on Muhammad’s case, including administrative costs and additional staffing. The attorneys billed at $150 an hour for their services.
Malvo’s defense has already crested the $1 million mark, according to records filed in Fairfax County Circuit Court. That figure does not include expert mental health evaluations paid for by public defense groups in other states.
"I don’t know how we could have done with less than what we got," said Craig Cooley, one of Malvo’s attorneys.
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