McClain v. Circuit Court
Annotate this CaseDefendant was convicted of robbery and murder and was sentenced to death. Based on newly discovered evidence, Defendant's counsel filed a postconviction motion. After an evidentiary hearing, counsel filed a motion for reimbursement of counsel, also requesting that the court issue an order directing the payment of his investigative fees. The chief judge of the judicial circuit denied the motion for reimbursement based on the fact that the expenses exceeded the statutory cap for investigative expenses by $1,844. The Supreme Court reversed, holding (1) the trial court improperly focused on whether this was an "ordinary" capital case, as opposed to reviewing whether there were "extraordinary or unusual circumstances" that required defense counsel to exceed the statutory cap for investigative expenses; and (2) based on the record, counsel's actions and the expenses incurred were reasonable and necessary, and the case presented "extraordinary or unusual circumstances" that required defense counsel to exceed the statutory cap for investigative services.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.