‘Zoo Man’ trial defense most expensive in state history

Legal expenses for Huskey exceed $483,878, which includes the cost of his lawyers and defense experts, according to officials at the Tennessee Administrative Office of Courts.

A Hamilton County jury deliberated about three hours Friday before finding Huskey guilty in his retrial of three counts of aggravated rape and one count of aggravated kidnapping.

Huskey, 46, faces 20 to 25 years in prison, which officials said will be added to 44 years he already is serving for previous rape and kidnapping convictions.

Huskey’s case was transferred to Chattanooga from Knoxville at the order of Knox County Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner, who said excessive publicity might have hampered Huskey’s ability to receive a fair trial in Knoxville.

Hamilton County Court Clerk Gwen Tidwell said last week transferring the trial from Knox County increased the overall cost — though none of it will be paid by Hamilton County.

“We’re not picking up any of the jury meals,” she said. “They’re not using any of my staff. All they are doing is using our courtroom. Knox County is picking up all costs.”

To house one prisoner at the Hamilton County Jail, the cost is $43.38 per day, with Huskey’s five-day stay totaling about $217, said Jim Hart, the jail’s supervisor.

Huskey’s lawyers, Herbert S. Moncier and Gregory Isaacs, both refused to comment about money spent on their client’s defense, citing a gag order that remains in effect because murder charges are still pending. Huskey also is accused of killing four prostitutes in 1992.

But Hamilton County District Attorney Bill Cox argued before the Tennessee Supreme Court in February on behalf of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference for changes in the rules that determine how indigent defense funds are approved.

Cox says Huskey’s case is a perfect example of why the change is needed.

Currently, defense attorneys meet privately with judges and request funds to hire experts. Prosecutors say that process doesn’t allow judges to make an informed decision, since only one side of the story is presented. They say the decisions should be made in open court.

“It would prevent runaway spending without infringing on any rights of criminal defendants,” Cox said.

Last week’s trial was the second for Huskey on the victim’s accusations of rape and kidnapping. He was convicted in a 1996 trial of sexually assaulting her and three others in a string of attacks on prostitutes in the early 1990s in Knoxville.

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the convictions involving the woman, saying her case should have been tried separately.

The “Zoo Man” nickname came from prostitutes who said he took them to the Knoxville Zoo for sex. He had worked there and allegedly carried out a series of rapes at the barn where he helped care for elephants.

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Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press, http://www.timesfreepress.com