Jodi Arias Has Public Defenders, And They're Costing Taxpayers A Fortune

Casey Anthony filed for bankruptcy in January after paying hefty fees to defend herself against charges she'd killed her 2-year-old daughter.

Now a woman who's dubbed the "Mormon Casey Anthony" is racking up her own legal fees in a case accusing her of brutally killing her ex-lover. Only taxpayers are footing the bill.

ABC15 reports today that taxpayers might spend more than $1 million on defending Jodi Arias, a 32-year-old woman who claims she killed her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander in self-defense.

A communications director for Maricopa County, Ariz., where Arias is being tried, told ABC 15 Arias' defense team has already cost $838,000 and that expenses continue to grow.

Arias is represented by Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott. Jose Baez, Casey Anthony's lawyer, called her defenders "very good lawyers" in an interview with CBS 5.

"I like Mr. Nurmi's laid back demeanor," Baez told CBS. "I think these two lawyers complement each other very well, and I think they're doing the best they can with the evidence they have."

To be sure, her lawyers have a difficult task. Arias initially told investigators she knew nothing about her ex-boyfriend's death and then blamed it on masked intruders before finally claiming self-defense. Alexander, a Mormon motivational speaker, was stabbed 27 times, shot in the head, and nearly decapitated.

The 32-year-old murder defendant's lawyers took the unusual step of having her testify in her own defense. Some jurors have signified they doubt she's telling the truth.