Casey Anthony, Accused Baby Killer, Declared Indigent Despite $200,000 Pictures Payoff
ORLANDO, Fla. (CBS/AP) The state of Florida will be saddled with much of the bill for defending Casey Anthony, accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee in the summer of 2008, after a judge ruled that she qualifies as indigent, despite having been paid $200,000 for her personal photographs by ABC News.
Last week Casey Anthony's attorneys argued that she was broke and could no longer afford the cost of her defense, which has totaled more than $250,000 since her arrest in 2008. Casey Anthony's attorneys also disclosed where that $250,000 came from and where it went.
According to attorney Jose Baez, ABC had paid the Florida mother and her relatives $200,000 for exclusive use of family photos and videos. In addition to that money Anthony's defense fund had received $70,000 from another attorney on the defense team and a $5,000 anonymous donation. But that money is gone, Baez said.
Some of her lawyers have worked pro bono, but Baez told the judge he had been paid more than $89,000 since taking on the case in 2008, and another attorney, Andrea Lyon, had been paid more than $22,000. Lyon told the court that all of that money went back into building their defense.
The judge's ruling means the state will cover defense costs, but not lawyer's fees. Those defense costs will be submitted to the court to make sure they comply with caps on spending, the judge said.
Casey Anthony's parents, George and Cindy Anthony, have been supportive but are now fighting foreclosure, according to a complaint filed by Bank of America.
Casey Anthony's trial is scheduled to start in May 2011. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
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