PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County had paid $282,202 in expenses related to the case of double-murder defendant Michael J. Pierce as of Dec. 31, the county Auditor’s Office said Thursday — the first day of jury deliberations on whether Pierce should spend the rest of his life in prison.
The Superior Court jury, which did not reach at verdict by 4:30 p.m., will reconvene at 9 a.m. today at the county Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend.
The members of the nine-woman, three-man panel will go home for the weekend if they do not reach a verdict today, Judge Craddock Verser told jury members in a courtroom that included more than two dozen spectators.
In addition to two counts of first-degree murder, Pierce also is charged with arson, burglary, theft and unlawful possession of a firearm related to the shooting deaths of Patrick Yarr, 60, and his wife, Janice, 57, at their Boulton Farm Road home north of Lake Leland on March 18, 2009.
Pierce’s trial began March 11 and included testimony from 44 witnesses, including several forensics experts, before concluding Wednesday.
The investigation included the participation of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, the FBI and the State Patrol crime lab.
County Prosecuting Attorney Juelie Dalzell said the county is expecting help from the state Legislature to defray the cost of expert witnesses and other trial expenses — or else there could be layoffs.
The state Legislature has approved a $190,000 expenditure for that purpose, but Dalzell is worried it won’t survive legislative budget-cutting that lawmakers are now engaged in to fill a $2.8 billion budget gap.
If the money doesn’t come through, at least one person will be laid off at the Jefferson County Courthouse she said.
“There will be layoffs without getting that amount from the state,” Dalzell said.
“I can’t see how we can find the money without laying somebody off or getting more grant money to make up for it, and I am applying for grants like crazy,” she added.
“It is a lot of money, but that’s the price for justice.”
County Auditor Donna Eldridge said a complete list of expenditures related to the Pierce case was not available Thursday because they had not been coded into the county’s accounting system.
But she felt confident that $282,202 had been spent through Dec. 31.
Expenses related to the Pierce case include $42,807 for attorney services to the law firm of Walsh & Larranaga, a death-penalty-qualified law firm.
The prosecution is seeking life in prison for Pierce, not the death penalty.
Dalzell refused to say why her office did not seek the death penalty until after the jury reaches a verdict.
Richard Davies, director of Jefferson Associated Counsel, which holds the county’s public defender contract, said the decision came soon after DNA results came back “on all sorts of stuff” showing no link between Pierce and the Yarrs or to Pierce and the Yarrs’ residence.
Dalzell denied the DNA results affected her office’s decision but would not comment further.
Davies’ firm received $50,414 for public defender services through Dec. 31, according to the Auditor’s Office.
Specific public defender expenses have been sealed under court order issued by Verser that allows disclosure of aggregate expenditure totals.
The sealed documents include invoices and time sheets.
“There’s an order sealing the records so that the defense is not exposed to public scrutiny until after the case is completed,” Davies said Thursday.
Verser reviews and approves defense expenditures, Davies said.
“The court is the gatekeeper of public funding in situations like this.”
Expenses through Dec. 31 also include $14,128 in prosecuting attorney costs.
“Everyone is working on this case,” Dalzell said, noting four attorneys and four legal assistants have kept track of all hours related to the Pierce case.
Extraordinary security surrounded the trial. Four deputies were in the courtroom at all times, including two stationed within about 10 feet of Pierce.
Sheriff’s Office costs related to the case were listed at $15,438.
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Senior Staff writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
