Climbing Costs : THE O.J. SIMPSON MURDER TRIAL
The O.J. Simpson case is costing Los Angeles County taxpayers about $800,000 a month; the total as of April 30 had reached $4.99 million--a number that is expected to double by the time the trial is completed, perhaps in September.
A breakdown of some of the major items:*
JURY: $1.1 million
Includes $629,259 for salary and benefits of sheriff’s deputies providing security for the panel.
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COURT: $758,090
Includes salaries of court reporters, judicial assistants and public information officers. (Judge Lance Ito, who earns about $104,000 annually, is paid by the state)
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DISTRICT ATTORNEY: $2.4 million
Includes salaries of about a dozen lawyers, plus law clerks and support staff. (Nearly 40 employees in the D.A.’s office worked on the case in April.)
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INCARCERATION: $96,930
Includes $81,000 spent during two months while Simpson was under 24-hour suicide watch. Now costs $55.69 a day.
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PREVIOUS TRIALS
$13.2 million: The total cost for the McMartin case, which lasted 6 1/2 years.
$1.8 million: For the Night Stalker case
* As of April 30
Source: Los Angeles County auditor’s office, Los Angeles Times
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