COLUMBUS — Ohio’s attorney general says the state should cover the majority of the costs for prosecuting the four suspects in the slayings of eight people in an Ohio county.
Officials in Pike County estimate they’ll spend well over $1 million on the upcoming cases involving the 2016 killings of eight members of the Rhoden family.
As he delivered a $100,000 payment to the county’s board of commissioners on Thursday, State Attorney General Dave Yost said he doesn’t want the costs to cripple the small county in southern Ohio.
“Justice should not depend on how fat your wallet is. The capital case involving the 2016 murders of eight Pike County family members illustrates the financial strain that a community can face from cases involving multiple victims and defendants. I’m pleased that the State of Ohio can provide some initial financial help for Pike County today in this matter,” Yost said.
He feels the state should pick up all of the costs, outside of salaries for those handling the case. State lawmakers would need to approve that spending.
Yost backed Sen. Bob Peterson (R-Washington Court House) and Rep. Shane Wilkin (R-Hillsboro) in November when they called for legislation that would allow the expenditure of state funds from the unappropriated balance of the general fund when a local government requires financial assistance for capital cases with multiple defendants or multiple victims.
He says the recent triple homicide in Ross County is a reminder of how local officials with limited resources can unexpectedly find themselves thrust into the middle of such cases.
Ohio lawmakers at the end of last year already agreed to provide an initial $100,000 to help pay for the trials of four family members charged in the killings.