With trial nearly a week away, the volunteer lawyers representing the man accused of killing former beauty queen and schoolteacher Tara Grinstead say they have no money to hire essential experts and that the state agency responsible for indigent defense has declared it cannot legally provide the funding or appoint additional counsel.

In response, the lawyers for Ryan Duke have asked the trial judge to declare the Indigent Defense Act—the law creating the Georgia Public Defender Council—unconstitutional because it does not provide access to adequate assistance for poor defendants who are not represented by public defenders.

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