Accused killer allowed to tap 401(k) for legal fees

Should a man accused of first-degree murder be allowed to use his 401(k) savings to hire an attorney? A judge in Wisconsin has ruled “yes.”
Jason Anderson has been accused of killing his wife, Nicole, and a judge in Fond du Lac County Court has said he can tap his 401(k) for the $37,000 it’ll cost to pay for his legal representation.
The law says, 401(k) participants are allowed to take hardship distributions from their retirement plans — as long as their plans allow early distributions — to pay for an “immediate and heavy financial need.”
Earlier, a different judge had already ruled Anderson couldn’t use part of his marital estate to hire an attorney, according to the Fond du Lac Reporter.
Nicole Anderson was found dead from the gunshot wound to the head on November 8 at the couple’s home.
A document filed by the attorney Anderson intends to hire claims that on the night his wife was found dead, he though he heard an intruder in the house. He then armed himself with a handgun, which accidentally discharged after the trigger guard was knocked against a piece of furniture. The recoil then caused him to nearly fall and for the gun to fire again.