ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — With Calvin Crew’s formal arraignment on Friday, he is one step closer to his eventual trial for the murder of Uber driver and mother of four, Christina Spicuzza.
But there are still many, many more steps to go until that point, especially after the district attorney announced they are seeking the death penalty in Crew’s case.
Crew is accused of robbing and killing Christina after she picked him up in her car while she was driving for Uber in February. Part of the terrifying night was caught on her dashcam.
“When the death penalty is sought by the DA’s office, it’s not a situation of where this case would go to trial in six months. It’s just not happening. It’s a very long and arduous process,” defense attorney Lee Rothman said.
Lee Rothman is a local defense attorney, and he has tried two death penalty cases.
“It creates an incredible amount of sleepless nights. It creates constant reflection on morality, ethics, all of these types of things. It’s hard on an individual,” Rothman said.
According to court records, Crew does not have a private attorney. He has a public defender with the county.
Allegheny County’s public defender office does have attorneys who are death penalty certified.
“I think in a lot of circumstances, there are public defenders that are far more qualified than private practitioners, who are in a situation where they’re constantly given these type of cases. A public defender has to take what cases are put on their desk,” Rothman added.
Taxpayer money partially pays for public defenders, and, as a result, for the cases they handle. In other words, Allegheny County taxpayers will foot the bill for Calvin Crew’s defense.
And a death penalty case comes with a hefty price tag.
“The mitigation efforts alone can be in the $100,000 range or more… having to get experts, records, having to review them, medical experts to review them. If (there’s a trial) within a year, I would be incredibly surprised. If it’s beyond two years, I would not be surprised,” Rothman said.
There are some state grants that can assist public defenders offices in death penalty cases, but it is not clear how much funding the Allegheny County Office could get from grants.
Channel 11 did reach out to a county spokesperson for more information, but, because of a gag order, the county cannot answer any questions about Crew’s case.
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