Public defenders are perfectly capable attorneys, and I'm quite certain that one will be able to mount a defense involving an elderly person with diminished capacity.

If you're out here claiming he shouldn't have access to a public defender because he has money, you're maximum clown. Once we start picking and choosing who gets that, you're probably not going to like how it shakes out. Let's just let everyone have access to these perfectly serviceable attorneys who are woefully underpaid compared to the other options that are usually available to them.