Casey Anthony Received $200K from ABC News - But is out of Cash, Says Defense
ORLANDO, Fla. (CBS/WKMG) A judge on Thursday asked Casey Anthony's defense team to explain how attorneys have spent nearly $300,000 before ruling whether Anthony can be declared indigent.
Orange County Circuit Court Judge Stan Strickland presided over the hearing and asked the defense to provide an itemized list by Friday detailing how they have spent the $275,000 Anthony has already paid in fees and costs.
It was disclosed in court on Thursday that ABC News paid Anthony $200,000. Of the remaining money, $5,000 came from a donor whom attorney Jose Baez did not identify and $70,000 was given by California-based attorney Todd Macaluso, who has since said he has withdrawn from Anthony's case.
Baez said Macaluso provided the funds to help defray defense costs.
Strickland said he will decide if the state should pay for Anthony's defense costs after reviewing the list. More than $160,000 has not been accounted for with attorney fees and costs.
Attorney Cheney Mason, who recently joined the defense team, said the public defender's office cannot afford to pay for the case, and Anthony's defense team will work pro bono.
"There are some expenses we have to have to give her due process," Mason said.
Attorney Andrea Lyon, a death penalty expert, testified that none of Anthony's money remains. She said she has spent at least 1,000 hours working on the case, not counting the hours of the 14 students in her DePaul law class that she has working on the case with her.
Baez also said the money that Anthony has provided has already been spent on fees and costs related to the case. Those costs will now have to be explained.
Anthony, who turns 24 years old on Friday, remains jailed on first-degree murder charges in the death of her daughter, Caylee, whose remains were found in an Orange County wooded lot in December 2008. Caylee was 2 years old when she was reported missing about five months earlier. Anthony has pleaded not guilty.
The Justice Administrative Commission, which is in charge of public funds used in criminal cases, said it has severe concerns with Anthony's claims.
Indigent requests are not unheard of in murder cases, though most defendants are found indigent early in the process.
Also, the state attorney's office told Local 6 that it will be releasing about 1,000 pages of new documents in the case later this week or next week. It's not clear, though, what information the documents contain.
Story Contributed by CBS Affiliate WKMG
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