The attorneys who represent the woman charged with killing an FBI agent in November want to be removed from her case.

John Elash and Philip DiLucente filed a motion on Friday asking U.S. District Judge Terrence F. McVerry to allow them to withdraw from Christina Korbe's case.

According to the motion, since being retained, Ms. Korbe and her family have only paid three-fifths of the proposed costs. Furthermore, the attorneys said that the family has told them that they are unable to pay the rest of the fees, and cannot afford to pay for expert witnesses or other related legal costs.

In addition, both Mr. Elash and Mr. DiLucente said that they had a meeting with prosecutors in April to discuss the possibility that Ms. Korbe could face the death penalty.

"Counsel avers that without adequate funds to fully prepare for all indictments and a potential death penalty prosecution, her defense would be unduly limited."

The attorneys asked that they be permitted to withdraw from the case, or alternatively be appointed to represent Ms. Korbe by the court. They said in the motion that their client does not object.

She is charged with the shooting death of FBI Special Agent Samuel Hicks, who was killed on Nov. 19 while serving an arrest warrant for federal drug charges on Ms. Korbe's husband, Robert.

She claims that she believed their home in Indiana Township was being broken into and that she did not know that the people pounding on the door were law enforcement. Ms. Korbe has said that she fired one shot blindly down a stairwell in self-defense.