The jury selected to hear the Door County murder trial of Brian Cooper will come from Wood County and will likely cost Door County between $16,000 and $20,000.
According to a Feb. 6 letter sent from Door County Clerk of Courts Nancy Robillard to the Finance and Administrative Committees, the last time Door County procured an out-of-county jury was in 2006 at a cost of $13,000. But Robillard says because of inflation (gas, meals, postage, payroll, etc.), she estimates the expense this time will be between $16,000 and $20,000. She says Wood County also pays its jurors more than Door County so "there will be extra costs associated with that."
Jury selection is scheduled to take place in Wood County on Friday, April 5. The jurors would be transported to Door County on Sunday, April 7 with the week-long trial slated to begin in Sturgeon Bay Monday, April 8.
Brian Cooper faces two murder charges in the killing of 21-year-old Alisha Bromfield and her unborn child. Judge Todd Ehlers granted a change of venue request on Jan. 31.
The Door County Board will vote Tuesday on transferring $20,000 from the contingency fund to cover the expense.
