Desmonte Leonard in courth Thursday.
Desmonte Leonard, charged in three slayings near Auburn University, had three attorneys appointed for him Thursday after telling a judge he could afford to pay for his legal defense.
Leonard, his hands and feet chained, had his first appearance in a heavily guarded courtroom before a judge in Opelika, Ala.. He’s facing three counts of capital murder and two assault charges in the shootings last weekend. The dead included two former Auburn football players, and a current player was among the three injured.
The 22-year-old Leonard told a judge he can’t afford to pay for a legal defense. So the judge appointed three Montgomery attorneys to represent Leonard at taxpayer expense.
Leonard says he understands the charges against him. He is jailed without bond.