CLEVELAND, June 14 (UPI) -- The September trial of accused Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell will be the most expensive in the history of Ohio's Cuyahoga County, officials predict.
The court has already approved $103,917 to pay experts hired by the defense, and further expenses will likely push the cost to the state to record levels, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported Monday.
Sowell, 50, is accused of killing 11 women and hiding their remains in his house in Cleveland. His trial on multiple counts of aggravated murder, kidnapping, abusing a human corpse and tampering with evidence is scheduled for Sept. 7, the newspaper said.
Defense attorneys have filed payment requests with the court to hire a mental health expert, an investigator, a mitigation consultant and a forensic consultant, court records show.
Sowell's main attorneys, Rufus Sims and John Parker, are paid $95 an hour, The Plain Dealer said.
Judge Dick Ambrose has asked the Cuyahoga County Jury Commission to provide 200 prospective jurors.
The trial will be held in Cuyahoga County unless the jury selection process shows pretrial publicity has made it impossible for Sowell to receive a fair trial, Ambrose said.
