Cold Case Defendant Argues He Should Be Own Lawyer
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (AP) -- A man accused of killing four women with matching first and last initials decades ago says he would like to represent himself in what could be a capital murder trial because he knows the case better than anyone else could.
Joseph Naso appeared in Marin County Superior Court Thursday to answer questions from a judge about whether he understood he had less of a chance of success by representing himself.
The 77-year-old Naso said he understood but believes hiring attorneys would exhaust his resources.
Prosecutors believe Naso has nearly $1 million in assets, and the public defender's office said it did not believe he would qualify as indigent.
The judge ordered Naso to discuss his concerns with the public defender's office and scheduled another hearing Friday.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
