Judge: State does not have to pay for Pablo Serrano mitigation fees
Missouri no longer has to pay $40,000 toward Pablo Serrano’s mitigation investigation, according to Montgomery County Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Carroz.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Pablo Serrano-Vitorino, a Mexican national and undocumented immigrant accused of killing Randy Nordman on March 8, 2016 at Nordman’s home. Serrano was on the run for an alledged quadruple homicide in Kansas. Nordman’s death started a manhunt in Montgomery County, and authorities captured Serrano nearly 24 hours later.
St. Louis Judge Steven Ohmer vacated a prior order that required the state, through the Missouri State Attorney General’s Office, to help pay for the investigation, which included traveling to Mexico to learn about Serrano’s background and up-bringing.
Serrano’s attorneys previously said this case requires complicated work by a mitigating specialist. Some records needed can only be obtained in person in Mexico. ABC 17 News previously reported the specialist will have to travel to rural, impoverished parts of the country for Serrano’s case. The person must also build enough trust with people there, who may not understand the U.S. legal system, to get material that will help Serrano.
The trial is set to start on Oct. 2, 2019 and is expected to last more than two weeks.
