LOS ANGELES : Simpson Trial Cost Through February Put at $3.2 Million

The O.J. Simpson trial had cost Los Angeles County $3.213 million by the end of February, with the expenses mounting as the trial continued into March, Supervisor Mike Antonovich said Thursday.

The total cost through February was $3.350 million, but the county was able to recoup $137,000 of that through the rental of parking lot space to the broad cast media.

Even though February is the shortest month, it was the most expensive so far, because it included 28 days of sequestration and a jury tour of venues associated with the case. The tour cost taxpayers $31,617.

The Sheriff’s Department--responsible for jailing Simpson, transporting him to and from jail and providing security for him and the jury--spent $378,200 in February. The district attorney’s office spent $322,280 prosecuting the case during the same period.