(NewsNation) — Latah County will pay the public defender representing Idaho quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger $200 an hour for her standard workweek, according to KREM 2.
Anne Taylor, chief of the Kootenai County Public Defender’s Office, previously represented a family member of one of Kohberger’s stabbing victims before switching to take his case, according to court records.
In the most recent case, drug charges were filed against Cara Kernodle on Nov. 19, six days after her daughter and three others were found dead inside an off-campus rental home.
Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Ethan Chapin were all stabbed to death in the early morning hours of Nov. 13.
“It’s a lot of money, and I don’t understand how they can do it,” former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told NewsNation host Brian Entin during an appearance Wednesday night on “Banfield.”
Coffindaffer shared her frustrations on Twitter, sharing that the average public defender salary in Idaho is $54,185. Taylor will earn $384,000, at minimum, to represent Kohberger.
“I’ve never known of something like this to happen with a public defender to have their salary increase,” Coffindaffer said. Entin pointed out that this is a death penalty case and requires expertise.
A judge barred attorneys for the families of victims in the homicide from speaking about the case to media.
Taylor is unable to comment publicly on recent development due to the gag order.