The San Luis Obispo County Public Defender’s office is facing an unusually high number of murder cases. That is putting a strain on the office’s staff and resources. Two of the cases carry the death penalty. The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisor has approved funding the addition of a full-time attorney with a high level of felony case experience, to help with one of the capital cases. San Luis Obispo County currently has 12 murder cases in various stages of investigation or prosecution. The last time a capitol case was assigned to the public defenders’ office was back in 2000.
