Columbia attorney donates $300,000 to Missouri State Public Defender to help clear criminal cases

Published December 11, 2020 3:59 PM

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Local attorney Jennifer Bukowsky has donated $300,000 to Missouri State Public Defender's (MSPD) office to help provide attorneys in Boone County for the poor accused of crimes.

The donation will allow attorneys to be assigned in almost 500 pending Boone County criminal cases.

Currently, there are over 650 cases pending in Boone County because MSPD has been unable to provide attorneys because of a case overload and have put defendants on a waitlist.

Some defendants on the Boone County waitlist have waited for an attorney since June 2018, some of whom have appeared in court unrepresented for bond hearings and status conferences.

Article Topic Follows: Court and Trials

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Karl Wehmhoener

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