DENVER -- It's unclear whether John Mark Karr will have a legal"dream team" to defend himself against murder charges in the slayingof JonBenet Ramsey. But he will probably receive a skilled attorneyeven if he cannot hire his own.
Unlike in many states, Colorado's public defender system is wellfunded and well respected for its work on complicated cases involvingDNA evidence. Legal experts say any attorney considering an offer ofrepresenting Karr for free in hopes of cashing in on the publicityshould think hard.
"This is a case that is going to eat up your life," veterandefense attorney Jeralyn Merritt said.
PUBLIC DEFENDERS WELL-SUITED
There always will be lawyers willing to set aside their other workand personal time to represent a high-profile defendant withpublicity as their only compensation, said Larry Pozner, pastpresident of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
"The irony is the public defenders are completely suited to knockthe stuffing out of this case," he said. "In a first-degree murdercase, you could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to hire alawyer as good as the public defenders are likely to be."
It was unclear Tuesday who might represent Karr in Colorado.
He had a public defender with him during Tuesday's hearing in LosAngeles.
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