NEWS

WHN: Tabb denied again in bid for public funds

Douglas Walker
dwalker@muncie.gannett.com

MUNCIE – Convicted killer Charlene Tabb has failed in yet another bid to have taxpayers help fund her appeal efforts.

Tabb, 31, is serving an 87-year prison term after being convicted in May of murder in the torture death of her 5-year-old cousin, and other charges stemming from the abuse and neglect of the defendant’s three younger siblings.

In August, the Muncie woman’s defense attorney, Mike Quirk, asked for public funds to pay for a transcript of his client’s trial. Court officials have estimated the cost of the transcript at more than $10,000.

Delaware Circuit Court 5 Judge Thomas Cannon Jr. ruled Aug. 18 that Tabb “has unencumbered equity value in nine separate parcels of (Muncie) real estate ... to pay for the preparation costs of the requested transcripts.”

Jack Quirk — Michael Quirk’s father, and the county’s chief public defender — last week again asked Cannon to approve funding for the cost of the transcript, beyond a $5,000 down payment provided by Tabb’s father.

“Only one of (Charlene Tabb’s) properties is available to be rented and the tenant in that house is being evicted for nonpayment of rent,” the elder Quirk wrote. “The rest of the properties are in disrepair and not able to be rented.”

Quirk also submitted a document reflecting that Tabb’s mother — a resident of Miami, Fla. — had been denied a loan from a Muncie bank.

Cannon denied the request, noting that Jack Quirk “is not an attorney of record in this cause.”

On Oct. 30, a jury found Tabb’s 55-year-old husband, Marcus, guilty of nine charges, all tied to the death of 5-year-old Marie Pierre and the abuse and neglect of his wife’s brother and two sisters.

He will face a maximum 83-year prison term when he is sentenced by Cannon on Dec. 1.

Contact reporter Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851. Follow him on Twitter @Douglas WalkerSP.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

What happened?: A jury in May found Charlene Tabb guilty of charges stemming from the torture death of her 5-year-old cousin, and the abuse and neglect of Tabb’s siblings. She was later sentenced to 87 years in prison.

What happened next?: In August, Judge Thomas Cannon Jr. denied Tabb’s request that public funds be provided to pay for a transcript of her trial, for appeal purposes. The judge noted Tabb owned at least nine Muncie properties.

What’s up now?: Cannon last week denied another motion for public funds on Tabb’s behalf. The county’s chief public defender said most of Tabb’s properties were in states of disrepair.