Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 30 July 1950 — Page 6

Watts (right) heard By DONNA MIKELS WHEN THE LAST chapter is finally written in the case of the State vs. Robert Austin Watts, it probably will add up to the costliest criminal proseeution in Indiana history. If an adding machine had been clicking off totals since the start of the dollar-sign punctuated case, the total cost as of today would read approximately $186,316.

There seems little doubt that by Nov. 14—the latest date set for the oft-postponed execution of the twice-condemned slayer =the same imaginary adding machine will have rolled past the $200,008) mark,

NOBODY | has ever put a price tag on justice. That's why it's to compute the exact dollars and cents sum expended fn the Watts case. That's why

it's also impossible to strike a .

with other criminal sases In the state's Riatory, But it 1s possible to go back fo Nov. 12, 1947, the date the apolis city truck driver was arrested in the brutal sex slaying of North Side housewife, Mary lois Burney, and match approximate costs with the step-by-step developments in the ease,

» » ~ THESE COSTS fall into two © @ategories: Extra expenses ‘directly charged to the Watts eases which can be computed exactly; services rendered by

law agencies, courts and other tal units whose dol-

ta equivalent can nig he approximated. : is the ation of sosts In both caf t Police Work THE MARION Cofinty Sheroffice and sta

time spent on Watts’ case by the men’s salaries, the sheriff's office approximated its service at

mately $275 worth of time. Watts was convicted and sentenced to dle in this January, 1048, trial. But the subsequent U. 8. Supreme Court reversal gave him a new trial. In pre-

In his 23cand | trial at Columbus, Ind., for the murder of Mrs. Prosecutor George Dailey argue for the state.

paring and taking part in this trial, and a hearing which preceded jt, the state police gave approximately $1560 worth of its time; the sheriff's office threw $1453 worth of personnel ihto the task of reassembling evidence and witnesses after a two-year lapse and in the actual trial.

The total for law enforcement in the Watts’ case $6737. Trials

WATTS FIRST TRIAL was in Shelbyville, at his request, because he felt he could not receive a fair trial in Marion County. For this trial Shelby County billed Marion County $8416.99. After the U. 8, Supreme Court granted Watts a new trial, a series of legal maneuvers culminated in another hearing in Shelbyville, The bill: $1510.35. The second trial was held in Columbus in March and Marion County last week received from Bartholomew County a bill for $10,025.50. In addition, Watts was arraigned in Marion County courts and given the service of two court-appointed pauper attorneys, one of whom remained with him throughout his first trial. The approximate cost of the judge's time and of the taxpaid counsel is roughly $208. Add to this $90-—§30 per diem for each of three grand juries which considered his case. Thus the cost of Watts’ “day in court" reach $20,250.84,

Prosecution TRIALS don't just happen. A lot of time, Interviewing of witnesses, preparation of legal points is involved. Like the police, the Marion County prosecutor's office is run on a salary basis, No charge is made for individual cases. But by estimating the time the

and muliplying this by their salaries, Times’ statisticians were able to arrive at the following figures. Trial No. 1--Prosecutor Judson Stark, four deputies and one investigator-—$3203. Shelby County Prosecutor Harold Meloy, who assisted, gave about $349 worth of his time. The total-—§3552, Trial No. 2—The salaried worth of Prosecutor George "Dailey, his deputies and his inveatigators who worked both in re-molding a case after a twoyear lapse and In trial-—-$5810. In addition were the expenses of maintaining the prosecutor's staff and witnesses in Columbux, of bringing in witnesses who had moved to such farflung spots as St. Louis, Ken-

x Mary Lois Burney, Robert Austin |

tucky, Ft. Logan Colo. and Salt Lake City, Utah, which totaled $1288.72. In short, prosecution costs

for the two trials approximated

$10,650.72.

Appeals

ROBERT WATTS took his

conviction to the Indiana Su- | preme Court, which had it seven i

months, and to the U, 8 S8u-

preme Court where is was con-

sidered five months, While there |

is no way of estimating the exact amount of time devoted to this case, it was under consideration 10 months (in each case one vacation month-inter-vened) by men who were paid $145,000 in that period for their legal skills. The Indiana Attorney General's office, which entered the case after it reached the higher courts, estimates the time of its personnel and the cost of preparing voluminous briefs presented to about $2500. Thus another $147,500 is added to the total.

Incarceration The cost of maintaining Watts in the jails at the two

trial sites are included in the |

overall change of venue bills to Marion County.

But in addition he was jailed 36 days in Marion County at |

-an approximate rate of $1.66, equaling $59.76. The Indiana Reformatory, which estimates $1.70 per pris-

oner per day, housed Watts 16 |

days $27.20,

As of today Watts has spent | in Indiana State |

682 days Prison which has a $1.60 daily rate, Add another $1091.20. Total costs of imprisonment, not counting the capital expense

of building or improving insti- |

tutions, 31416

THIS TOTALS up to an over- |

all cost of $186,316.72. This sum has been spent to give

every legal consideration to a |

man charged with murder. And the clicking of that im-

aginary adding machine hasn't | been stilled. Preparations are | now being made for another ap- |

peal to Indiana Supreme Court.

Watts promised on the eve of | his second death sentence he i would “go right back to the |

U. 8. Supreme Court.”

These costs are still to be | And if the twice- | convicted slayer eventually goes |

computed.

to the electric chair to which two juries of his peers have

sentenced him, there will be one |

final charge. For the 5600 volts of electricity that course through the body of a man strapped in Michigan City’s death chair, the state pays Public Service Co. 15 cents,

the high ry, at |

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