Taxpayers have to pay for his defense, with even more likely to come.
Via The Gazette:
MONTEZUMA — A judge ruled Wednesday that the state will pay a $3,200 stipend for an expert witness to assist the man accused of fatally stabbing Mollie Tibbetts last summer.
Lawyers for Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24, who is charged with first-degree murder, said the stipend is needed to hire a forensic expert with Criminal Case Consultants in Buffalo, N.Y. The expert can provide insight on interrogation techniques and analytical investigative methods given the “length, context, language barriers and other factors involved in the police interrogation” of Rivera, Chase Frese, Rivera’s lawyer, said in the motion.
The stipend is required for the expert to begin looking into those issues but doesn’t cover costs of testimony at trial or travel expenses, Frese said in the motion. The defense will make separate requests for those funds if necessary.
Eighth Judicial District Judge Joel Yates approved the stipend Tuesday, saying a financial affidavit filed with the court shows Rivera is indigent and qualifies for public funds, which will be paid by the state. If additional funds are needed, the defense will have to obtain court approval, the judge added.