Key lawmakers moved quickly Wednesday to get behind the likely death penalty prosecution of the accused killer of Manchester Police Officer Michael Briggs.
The legislature's joint fiscal committee voted unanimously to budget 420 thousand dollars to cover some of the legal costs the state will absorb as prosecutors seek capital murder charges against Michael 'Stix' Addison.
New Hampshire Public Radio's Josh Rogers has more.
Top lawmakers say it's crucial that Attorney general Kelly Ayotte get any tool needed to bring Michael Briggs' killer to justice…..State senate president Ted Gatsas says there should be no doubt about it.
"I think it's important that there is a strong message sent that we're here to assist her. There's no reason funding should be available and she should be able to go out and make sure that the death penalty she's asked for is achieved."
The justice department plans to use the money to pay two-full time senior attorneys, a paralegal, as well as experts. In a statement Attorney General Ayotte thanked the committee for what she called their decisive and prompt action…..…Deputy Attorney General Bud Fitch, meanwhile, warned that the appropriation is not likely to fund the entire case…..He says it's best seen as a rough estimate of anticipated costs between now and July 1st. He says the state's ultimate outlay will remain an open question for some time.
"We expect a lot of legal work throughout the process -- if there is a conviction to sustain it, but just to get to trial there will be a tremendous resources on both sides of the case and today I'm certainly not in a position to suggest even a range of ultimate costs."
Given that, some lawmakers said they saw no need for immediate action…….Stoddard House Democrat Dan Eaton is an alternate on the fiscal committee……He says he didn't attend the meeting because there was little of much consequence on the regular agenda…….The former policeman said there's nothing to suggest state would ever be stingy when it came to funding the prosecution of man accused of killing a cop.
"I think when you are three weeks out from election….Everything is political and I find it tragic that one of the saddest days in the state of NH -- the loss of a police officer -- is used for any political purpose."
Senate President Gatsas says the motive of the committee was simply to do the right thing. But Gatsas did concede that the state's funding for the prosecution of Michael Addison was never in question.
"There was never any doubt, but we stepped forward and brought the money forward so that there wasn’t any doubt."
The fiscal committee's appropriation must be approved by the executive council before prosecutors can begin spending the money.
