Be accused of murder.
Backstory for this post: a suburban Cincinnati guy is accused of and stood trial for the August 2008 death of his wife. Then, due to jury misconduct his murder conviction was set aside, the appeals court refused to reverse it and a judge lowered his bail from one million to $400,000.
As with many true crime stories, I want to know the financial impact. I want to know if the couple’s homeowner’s insurance pays for the crime scene cleanup? If you are unpaid leave from your job, because you are accused of murder, what about your mortgage or rent? I’m guessing if you are innocent you do not move out, but if you cannot make bail, your sitting in jail while your place is unoccupied. How does a family come up with the money for bail?
I know from reading a crime scene clean up book, that some insurance companies pay the least amount and only have the carpets cleaned with no attention to the subfloor.
The Cincinnati Enquirer answers my last question with an article that explained the defendant’s mother spent more than $250,000, mostly her retirement, on this trial. This was AFTER they posted $40,000 or ten percent of his $400,000 bail when he was arrested. Once convicted, that is no longer valid so they had to come up with another $40,000 because he is getting another trial. The money came from family and supporters who did fund-raising.
All told, the family has spent a little under $350,000 to defend a relative accused of murder. Having been summoned, again, for jury duty and told I can expect $15 per day (which I am welcome to donate back to the courts for their drink and snack fund), I see it pays keep your nose to the grindstone, to keep your nose clean.