NEW CASTLE, PA. Man seeks funding for appeal in slaying

The cost for experts in Peter Michael Karenbauer's case is estimated at $10,000.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Peter Michael Karenbauer is asking that Lawrence County hire five experts to help in his bid for a new trial.
Karenbauer, 32, was convicted in July 1996 in the death of 8-year-old Lacey Johnson. He was sentenced to death, but that sentence was later commuted to life in prison after it was determined that Karenbauer is mentally retarded.
Karenbauer's attorney, Kathy Swedlow of Michigan, asked Judge Dominick Motto of Lawrence County Common Pleas Court on Friday to hire two forensic experts and three mental-health experts to testify in his bid for a new trial. The cost is estimated to be about $10,000.
Karenbauer contends there were errors made in his first trial and that he had ineffective legal counsel.
Objections
Frank Fina of the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office argued against hiring the experts, saying Karenbauer's claims of ineffective counsel at trial are unfounded. He has filed a motion to dismiss Karenbauer's bid for a new trial.
Fina said Karenbauer confessed the murder three times, giving details only the killer would have known.
Swedlow contends that Karenbauer, who is both mentally ill and mentally retarded, was manipulated by another person to confess the killing.
Lacey Johnson was stabbed 18 times with a knife and then drowned in a bathtub. Her body was later stuffed under a bed before it was found by a relative.
Judge Motto said he will decide if the experts should be hired after written arguments are submitted by the attorneys.