Man acquitted on traffic death charge

Jim Haley / Herald Writer

A Snohomish County Superior Court jury Tuesday acquitted a Monroe man of one charge and deadlocked on a second related to a December traffic crash in which his best friend was killed.

The jury deliberated most of Tuesday before announcing the verdict in the case of Eizu Elijah Fredrickson, 23. Jurors acquitted him of a felony charge of hit-and-run with a fatality in the death of Phillip Stone, 21, also of Monroe. Stone had been a passenger in a car that crashed on a sharp curve on Woods Creek Road. Jurors also told Judge George Bowden they could not reach a unanimous verdict on a second charge of vehicular homicide. Jurors said they were split 10-2 in favor of acquittal...Read more...

Man acquitted in parking lot killing

The jury agrees that the defendant shot a Darrington man to protect a friend.

Jim Haley / Herald Writer

An Eastern Washington man admitted he was a drug dealer, but denied he was a murderer. A Snohomish County Superior Court jury agreed Wednesday when it acquitted Matthew Steven Young, 21, of first-degree murder -- a charge that could have put him behind bars for at least 25 years...Read more...

Man acquitted of murder, manslaughter in death of teen

By Diana Hefley / Herald Writer

EVERETT -- A Snohomish County jury wasn't convinced a former Central Washington University student fatally shot a teen in self-defense, but jurors also weren't convinced he committed murder...Read more...

Opel lawyer turns court into theater

By Janet Burkitt / Times Snohomish County bureau

People who have met criminal-defense attorney Pete Mazzone tend to remember him — just like they remember their first kiss. Or their last hangover.

"Oh, you bet," said Tom Giebel, a juror in a murder trial that Mazzone worked on two years ago. "You bet I remember.

"Loudmouthed city slicker from New York is what I first thought," he added. "A little short guy from New York."

Actually, it's Jersey City, N.J. As for the rest, Mazzone himself probably wouldn't argue — though if he did, it would be loudly, with his thick Jersey accent, gesturing wildly with his arms...Read more...

Opel avoids death row for hiring teens to kill her Everett employer

By Jennifer Sullivan / Times Snohomish County bureau

EVERETT — The jury that spared Barbara Opel from execution and sentenced her to life in prison couldn't have reached a unanimous verdict even if they'd had "99,000 years" to weigh her fate, one juror said.

After deliberating for 7-½ hours over two days, the Snohomish County jury yesterday afternoon couldn't agree on the death penalty and recommended Opel be sentenced to life imprisonment for the April 13, 2001, slaying of her boss. One juror later said the vote was five in favor of execution and seven against.

A death sentence requires a unanimous verdict by jurors. The only other possible sentence for aggravated first-degree murder is life in prison without parole...Read more...

Monroe man's legal odyssey nearly over

Prosecutors reach a deal to credit him for time already served as a teenager.

By Scott North / Herald Writer

Frank Chimenti Jr. once faced five years in prison for a crime he committed at age16. On Thursday, he learned he likely will only spend a few more weeks behind bars to put his legal problems in his past...Read more...

State high court clarifies property seizures in drug cases

The state Supreme Court says the Bothell parents’ cars shouldn’t have been seized after their son dealt drugs.

Herald Staff and News Services

SEATTLE — A state Supreme Court ruling in a Snohomish County case Thursday could make it more difficult for authorities to seize property used for drug dealing.

The high court overturned rulings that Stephne and Alan Roos of Bothell had to forfeit their vehicles ...Read more...

Convicted burglar granted another chance at freedom

The Monroe man has been in and out of prison on the charge since he was 16.

By Jim Haley / Herald Writer

A 20-year-old Monroe man who is serving more than five years in prison for a burglary he committed as a teenager won a small victory in court Friday, but hopes for an even bigger win within a couple of months...Read more...