Judge OKs death penalty option in Carnation killings
By Matt Markovich & KOMO Staff
Story Published: Jun 4, 2010
SEATTLE -- Prosecutors can seek the death penalty against Michele Anderson, the woman accused of killing six members of her family in Carnation on Christmas Eve 2007, following a judge's decision Friday.
Anderson and her former boyfriend, Joe McEnroe, are both of killing Anderson's parents, her brother, her brother's wife and her nephew and niece.
The two defendants' attorneys argued the prosecutor over-stepped the law by seeking the death penalty in their cases. They'd hoped the judge would find the state's death penalty laws too broad, making the two defendants ineligible for the punishment.
But in a lengthy decision that took Superior Court Judge Jeffery Ramsdell 40 minutes to read, he disagreed with their argument.
"Given the magnitude of these alleged crimes - the slaying of three generations of a family and particularly the slaying of two young children, I find that there are not sufficient reasons to keep the death penalty from being considered by the juries that will ultimately hear these matters," said the judge.
The judge's ruling validates a decision made by King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg to seek the death penalty against both defendants.
"I think the judge affirmed what Mr. Satterberg has been saying all along, and this doesn't change the nature of the case for the last two and half years," said Deputy Prosecutor James Konat.
Throughout the whole hearing, McEnroe rarely took his eyes off the judge. Anderson, on the other hand, stared away and rarely looked up.
READ: MICHELE ANDERSON AND JOE McENROE ELGIBLE FOR DEATH PENALTY FOR SLAUGHTER OF FAMILY...
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/95663319.html
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment