BAY MINETTE, Ala. — A ruling is expected this week on a motion filed by murder suspect Stephen Nodine’s attorneys requesting to withdraw from the case due to Nodine’s inability to pay for counsel if he is retried.

The motion, filed by Mobile attorneys Dennis Knizley and John Williams, also asks the court to appoint counsel and pay for trial preparation and witness fees at taxpayer expense.

Circuit Judge Charles Partin, who presided over the December trial, said Tuesday he expects to rule on the March 9 filing by the end of the week.

Nodine, a former Mobile County Commissioner, is charged in the murder of Angel Downs, who was found shot dead in her Gulf Shores condominium driveway last year.

A jury was deadlocked on murder and stalking charges during the December trial, but convicted Nodine of an ethics violation concerning personal use of a Mobile County vehicle.

District Attorney Hallie Dixon has not decided to retry the case and currently is reviewing evidence and reinterviewing potential witnesses. She also has said she would consider a change of venue if the case is retried due to the saturation media coverage.

Dixon was not immediately available for comment.

Knizley stated in the motion that Nodine has exhausted all personal resources, as well as resources from family members, and is “unable to afford transcript fees, expert fees, investigative fees, attorney’s fees and other expenses required to present a constitutionally adequate defense to the allegations.”

Nodine resigned his Mobile County Commission post after he was arrested. He lost personal assets in a divorce settlement, Knizley earlier said.