In a 2 April order, the Carroll Circuit Court has approved the request for public funds to cover some specific defense costs.
The approved motion, initiated by Attorney Brad Rozzi, sought reimbursement of public funds to cover legal services provided by Attorney Jennifer Auger to indigent defendant Richard Allen. Attorney Auger's assistance was deemed necessary due to the overwhelming volume of discovery and evidence presented by the prosecution, particularly in the identification and vetting of prosecution witnesses, notably FBI agents.
To read a more detailed summary of the motion that led to this order see this post.
The order issued by Frances Gull, Special Judge of the Carroll Circuit Court, grants authorization for Attorney Auger to submit invoices for her services. Upon approval by the Court, the Carroll County Auditor will be directed to reimburse Attorney Auger at the same hourly rate as the public defenders.
This will come as a relief to a defense that is still having to crowdsource funds to pay for expert witnesses. It will be interesting to see what - if any - FBI involvement comes about because of Jennifer Auger's actions, but considering they had a key role in the early days of the Delphi murders investigation, it could be an important element of the trial.