A couple more Harlow Cuadra after-trial stories in the Times Leader today, dealing with the financial costs of the prosecution, and the public outlay for the defense.The prosecution bill came to $112,317, which according to District Attorney Jacqueline Musto Carroll was "very expensive." One interesting thing that caught my eye:
"According to the 2009 budget for the district attorney’s office, $100,000 is set aside for capital cases and $350,000 is set aside for examinations/witnesses. By comparison, there was no money for capital cases and $179,800 for examinations/witnesses for the district attorney’s office in 2008."Thus it seems that by going for the death penalty, Melnick was able to tap into a $100,000 pool of extra funding for the prosecution of this wide-ranging and complex case.
The alternate public defender bill for both Joe and Harlow (while Harlow was still alternately publically defended) came to $25,310 "so far," which means bills are still coming in. Of that, it looks like $10,280 was spent on Joe, leaving Harlow's tab at $15,030 I guess.
Of that, $4,497.50 was paid to the Jesse Detective Agency of Dallas. This was over the 300% over the $1000 budgeted for investigators, but after reviewing the bill Judge Olszewski "found it reasonable considering it was a capital murder case."
Other expenses included $7,546.20 to Court Consultation Services to testify during the penalty phase that Harlow's childhood years were less than ideal, and an imprecisely known amount "not to exceed $3,000" for the services of Dr. Richard Bohn Krueger, who performed a psychiatric evaluation of Harlow but curiously didn’t testify during the trial.
You know, you add these various Harlow totals up and they come to close to 15 grand, which tells me the actual alternate public defenders for Harlow haven't submitted their bills yet.
Anyways, you take these recently revealed totals together, and they come to:
$112,317
+ $25,310 ("so far")
---------
$137,627, which represents the total cost to the taxpayers of Harlow and Joe and their enablers' idiotic decision to drag this thing out for over two years. With the lion's share of this blame going to Harlow and his enablers, of course, as they actually took this ridiculous story of his all the way to trial.
Now, you combine this with the police investigation bill, and the total cost of their hairbrained scheme to deal with mortage, cars and credit card debt comes to:
$137,627
+ $100,000 ("with bills still coming in")
----------
$237,627. So far.
Altogether, quite a tidy sum for a case Harlow thought was going to be put "on the back burner."
Update: Death penalty debated. "Paul J. Walker, who along with Joseph D’Andrea represented Cuadra during his trial, said he believes it’s time for Pennsylvania to change its death penalty law..."
Update 2: Off topic LOL...NO, this movie is NOT what you think it's about!
Update 3: Off topic...Luzerne County corruption story on ABC's 20/20 tonight (March 27).
15 comments:
Idiotic enablers is a more than apt description. Those enablers enabled Cuadra to enable himself to take the witness stand, against counsel's advice not to, thus enabling Cuadra into a very able 1st degree murder conviction for life w/o parole.
Rob, council wanted Harlow to take that stand for two reasons.
One is that they were out of options, and couldn't let the trial close on the bad note is was already going to end on, with the Joe backfire, Renee's hostility towards them, and nothing else of substance to throw out there besides the rumoured 3rd degree offer.
Harlow had to take the stand, he was getting first degree anyway without having a knife placed in his hand. This way there might have been an Oscar caliber performance on the stand, you never know. So it was worth a shot, and turned out to be a shot in the dark. Nothing was gained, nothing lost.
The jury commented on his less then believable performance and how it rubbed them oddly. But he was finished after his tricks stated on the stand they they were asked to provide fake alibis for Harlow, and a letter and an email Harlow sent were both in the evidence. How does one explain that away? They did not explain it away at all, but hoped it would get lost in the mountain of tapes and IP addresses.
There's been conflicting news accounts on whether Harlow's lawyers really wanted him to take the stand. An early article said it was against their advice. After the trial, they were quoted as saying it was a great idea, they'd do it again.
I personally think it was the former, but who knows at this point. I do know that a much better defense could have been mounted by not having him take the stand, brought in more anti-Joe evidence, and then pitched the idea Harlow could have been a merely a pawn in closing arguments, hypothetically.
Wouldn't have got him aquitted, but D'Andrea could have gotten his 3rd/30 with a snazzy presentation IMO.
Or he could have saved everyone an immense amount of time and money and took the 2nd/life deal.
Regarding the Update, one fact that wasn't noted but probably should have been: Joe's plea to 2nd/life. Would that have happened but for the DP? Unlikely.
Reminds me of that argument in Spinal Tap, "These go to 11."
As long as the knob "goes to 11" the guilty have an incentive to plea to a 10. You take out the 11, and the best you'll get out of a plea would be a 9 (or lower).
A sobering remark from a juror interview on PC's:
"If Harlow hadn't taken the stand, he might of walked."
This juror appears to have a good sense of humor from his other remarks, so I'm going to take this as hyperbole, but it sure did jolt me awake when I read it.
Regarding "The Price Tag," this wa a down payment.
When you factor in incarceration costs down the road, yeah.
Yes Sir. I was thinking of appeals but no matter which way you cut it, this will cost much, much more in the future.
I also heard of your 'close encounter!'
Maybe we can watch the planes landing together in September.
Hope that was cryptic enough. :)
will g said...
A sobering remark from a juror interview on PC's:
"If Harlow hadn't taken the stand, he might of walked."
This juror appears to have a good sense of humor from his other remarks, so I'm going to take this as hyperbole, but it sure did jolt me awake when I read it.
----
It's a dig at Harlow so that when he reads the paper and reads that comment, he'll have more regrets.
Yes, I'd say the juror was having one on Harlow.
Albert writes, "Maybe we can watch the planes landing together in September."
What happened to the black helicopters? Those choppers went missing in the morning mist.
I agree Quicky this jury by the end of trial was derisive and dismissive of Harlows multi-faceted storytelling.
I think the best dry comment was the juror who observed Harlows testimony that Joe fought with Bryan and Bryan yelled, "Didnt Harlow read the coroners report? (No Yelling was possible with a slit trachea)
Dewayne, Dr. Doolittle talked with the animals; there's a dog behavioralist, the Dog Whisperer, who communicates with canines. Why shouldn't Joe Kerekes be able to communicate with murder victim with a slit larnyx? Perhaps, as in the Old Testament account of the aftermath of Cain's slaying of Abel, the victim's blood spoke and called for a redress of this most grievous fault.
Off topic, but someone is claiming H&J's hard-earned title: Pennsylvania's Dumbest Criminal
Kent Barclay will no doubt want to start a legal defense fund for him. :o)
I loved that comment "I'm Smooth"
he meant "I am Stoned and with Stupid" Stupid being himself ;)
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