'I was in shock': Alleged murderer Jacob Steele retakes the stand UPDATE to 2010(2012) murder case

Update 6/28/2019

◼ Will the handling of convicted murderer Jacob Steele's jury trial work in his favor today?

This afternoon, there is a Franklin hearing/resentencing scheduled for Jacob Charles Steele. He was convicted of second degree murder of Jerry George in 2012. As of today, Steele is not eligible for parole until 2034....

◼ 'I was in shock': Alleged murderer Jacob Steele retakes the stand - TS - 2/2/12

Jacob Charles Steele testified Thursday that he didn't look at his friend Jerry George's body after shooting him in January 2010 and didn't know where the bullet struck but that he instantly assumed George was dead.

Taking the stand for the third consecutive day in his murder trial, Steele again testified that he feared for his life when he shot George in self-defense as the 29-year-old Louisiana native violently rushed at him on the night of Jan. 21, 2010. Steele said he raised his gun as George quickly approached and it went off -- possibly accidentally -- before he saw George fall to the ground.

◼ Richard: 'It was a stressful moment'; Jacob Steele's cousin offers gory rebuttal testimony in murder case - TS - 2/4/12

Richard Steele also testified Friday that when he and his cousin returned to the apartment later that night to move George's body, the wound was more than apparent. He said while he and Jacob Steele were wrapping George in the tarp, he was initially wrapping George's upper body -- with Jacob Steele wrapping his legs -- when George's head flopped over to the right.

”When you went to wrap him up in the tarp, what happened?” Gallegos asked.

”For real?” Richard Steele asked in response, seeming unsure whether to answer.

”Yes,” Gallegos answered.

”His brains spilled out all over my hands,” Richard Steele testified, prompting George's sister to stand up and leave the courtroom.

”What did you do then?” Gallegos asked.

”I kind of freaked out and said, 'Jake, you got to take the head,'” Richard Steele testified.

NO plea deal made with any of the murder suspects in 14 year old Jesus Garcia's homicide

◼ DA has not made a plea deal with any murder suspect in 14 year old Jesus Garcia's homicide - John Chiv/Words Worth

FOLLOW John Chiv's blog for daily updates and details on court cases. At the link.

◼ New attorney appointed for Joe Olivio, Jr, one of four suspects in Jesus Garcia homicide - John Chiv/Words Worth Feb 23, 2016

Feb 19, 2016 - Lot of last minute changes in the court hearings and attorneys for the four suspects charged in the death of 14 year old Jesus Romero-Garcia
Feb 18, 2016 - Joe Olivio III's arraignment continued for another week; he is charged with the homicide of Jesus Garcia
Feb 16, 2016 - Joe Daniel Olivio, another suspect in homicide of Jesus Garcia arraigned this afternoon
Feb 9, 2016 - Appointment of attorney for Nicholas Leigl, a suspect in the Jesus Garcia homicide, with alleged ties to the 18th street gang in limbo
Feb 5, 2016 - No bail for Nicholas Leigl, first suspect arraigned for homicide of Jesus Garcia
Feb 5, 2016 - Nicholas Leigl, one of the suspects in the Jesus Romero-Garcia with alleged ties to the 18th street gang arraigned for murder and criminal street gang charges
Feb 4, 2016 - District Attorney Maggie Fleming gives update on status of arraignments for suspects in Jesus Garcia homicide

◼ Mario Nunez, suspect in Jesus Garcia homicide gets preliminary hearing date set in March, for now - John Chiv/Words Worth Feb 23, 2016

◼ No bail for Mario Nunez, third suspect in alleged gang related homicide and death of Jesus,Garcia, arraignment continued - John Chiv/Words Worth Feb 19, 2016

◼ Homicide of 14 year old from 2014 involves alleged connection to Mexican gang mafia - John Chiv/Words Worth Feb 4, 2016

Dan Dobbs plea deal and fresh charges

◼ Teflon Dan Dobbs pleads out assault (not arson) case, picks up new charges while this case was in jury trial - John Chiv/Words Worth

Plea deals that release repeat offenders are not a good thing.

Fourth Scoop In A Row

◼ Exclusive remarks from Benjamin Carter's attorney and the entire text of the 995 motion that got the murder charge dismissed against Carter - John Chiv/Words Worth May 16, 2015

Mr. Acosta has literally pulled a miracle for Benjamin Carter. On the lam, Carter called LOCO instead of his own defense attorney. Carter is lucky that he is not facing murder charges. The preliminary hearing was prosecuted by DDA Luke Brownfield and this was under the previous administration.... Details, at Chiv's Blog

◼ Benjamin Carter withdraws time waiver, does not accept offer, jury trial set for July 6 - John Chiv/Words Worth May 15, 2015

Pre trial (will be) June 1 at 2 p.m. Trial Confirmation June 24 at 2 p.m.

Another Clanton sex-offender takes a plea deal

◼ "You will pay for this when you get out " a minor victim's father tells the man in court who got a plea deal and probation for molesting his daughter - John Chiv/Words Worth

...he got probation instead of prison.

Plea deal in Limmie Curry case; 12 years total in prison to lesser charge of manslaughter

Chiv has the details: ◼ Before his case was called, Curry nodded to his dad. After the change in plea, his dad silently left the courtroom. - John Chiv/Words Worth 3/9/15 1:49pm

If you followed the Eddie Lee case on (Chiv's) blog, the resolution should not be a surprise. Former DA Paul Gallegos prosecuted the first Limmie CiCurry trial which was declared a mistrial and then Eddie Lee's trial where the Judge granted the defense motion of dismissing the case right before jury deliberations. Eddie Lee's attorney cited Penal Code 1118 as the reason.

Eddie Lee the only witness and previously the co defendant charged with murder has no reason to testify.

The loss of that case did impact this one.

◼ Curry Pleads Guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter, Will Serve 10 Years - Ryan Burns/Lost Coast Outpost 3/9/15 5pm

DA'S OFFICE PRESS RELEASE: District Attorney Maggie Fleming announced today that Limmie Greg Curry pled guilty this afternoon to voluntary manslaughter, and admitted the use of a firearm in the shooting death on February 3, 2010 of William Charles Reid.

The defendant agreed he would receive the maximum term of 12 years. He will serve 85% of his sentence [or 10 years, 73 days]. Formal sentencing will occur on March 23, 2015.

At a previous trial of the matter, the jury deadlocked and was unable to reach a verdict on the murder charge but found he was guilty of cultivation of marijuana.

The resolution of the case was reached following discussions with the victim’s family.

The case was investigated by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Kelly Neel.

◼ UPDATED: Curry pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter in plea deal - Will Houston/Times-Standard

Curry, 24, pleaded guilty this afternoon to a charge of voluntary manslaughter and stipulated to the upper term of 11 years in prison as well as admitting to a special allegation of being armed with a firearm during the commission of the crime, according to Russo. Curry faces 12 years in prison with time credits being given due to him being in custody at the county jail since February 2010, Russo said.

Curry was accused of murdering 46-year-old William “Billie” Reid of Willow Creek on Feb. 3, 2010, at a property near State Route 299 near Willow Creek while allegedly trying to rob him and take over his marijuana growing operation. Curry was then alleged to have burned Reid’s body and then buried the skeletal remains at a marijuana grow on Reid’s property. Reid’s roommate Eddie Lee was also charged as a conspirator to the murder, but was acquitted last year at the Humboldt County Superior Courthouse by Judge John T. Feeney.

On plea deals...

◼ A Plea against Pleading - Conrad Black/NRO

...The percentage of federal prosecutions tried by juries declined from 19 percent in 1980 to 3 percent today, as prosecutors have huge advantages over defense counsel and throw a great raft of counts against a defendant who declines to roll over.

...In actuality, our criminal-justice system is almost exclusively a system of plea bargaining, negotiated behind closed doors and with no judicial oversight. The outcome is very largely determined by the prosecutor alone....
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His premise is 'Prosecutors abuse the system to win unjust convictions.' - but we've seen the opposite here.

Knowing how it's played out here - whaddya think? Good? Bad? Indifferent?

Pled out - 8 counts reduced to unlawful sexual intercourse, false imprisonment and human trafficking in plea offer

◼ The plea deal offer, has yet to be accepted by Judge Reinholtsen and sentencing is scheduled for this afternoon. If it is accepted, it looks like it would result in 8 counts being reduced to three counts. - John Chiv/Words Worth

After the case being dismissed the first time, mistrial the second time, a plea deal was reached right before the third trial started for David Anderson, a suspect who was originally charged with kidnapping, rape by force, forcible oral copulation of minor victim over age of 14, sexual battery, unlawful sexual intercourse, threats to commit crime resulting in death, false imprisonment and human trafficking.

Anderson has been represented for all three trials by private defense attorney Benjamin McLaughlin, who was appointed by the court as Anderson's attorney. The case was prosecuted each time by DDA Luke Brownfield....

◼ Sentence in human trafficking case: 9 years, 4 months - Will Houston/Times-Standard
Brownfield said in an interview with the Times-Standard that the plea deal was reached during a third trial in the case. During the first trial, other alleged "pimping and pandering" victims of Anderson's from two other California counties also testified, but Brownfield said the case was dismissed. When the district attorney's office refiled, the trial went on for about six to eight weeks before a mistrial was declared based on a statement made by a witness. Brownfield said it was about three weeks into the third trial when "we reached a negotiated deal to the human trafficking charge."

...Before the sentencing, McLaughlin asked Reinholtsen to consider waving or reducing the fines associated with the case — which included a $500,000 fine for the human trafficking charge — due to his client not having "the resources to pay any significant fines or fees."

What a sweet deal

So we'll drop the attempted murder charge if you agree to waive your prelim...

What? Why?

This does not look good. Certain things should be avoided when the defense attorney is related to the Assistant DA... is the first reaction to this news. Seriously.
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◼ Silverio Sanchez preliminary waived; attempted murder charge dropped

DDA Zach Curtis stipulated with Silverio Sanchez's attorney, Mr. Ben McLaughlin, to drop Count 1 which is the attempted murder charge and the special allegation associated with it and Sanchez agreed to waive the preliminary hearing.

..."Our aim this morning was to get the attempted murder charge dropped and to litigate the rest of the trial," Mr. McLaughlin told me after the hearing. "By waiving the preliminary hearing, we are not acknowledging that Mr. Sanchez was driving the vehicle."

Sneaky Plea Deal fails

Shame. This is the one where the deal was killed by one judge, so they schlepped it to another one, without telling the Judge or notifying the victim or her attorney. Good Going, Paul, and Neal.

◼ Allison Jackson scores another win for victim; deal between Gallegos and Sanders busted - John Chiv/Words Worth

The case is (NOW) scheduled to go to trial on November 3 at 8:30 a.m.. Trial Confirmation is on Oct 20 at 3 p.m. and pre-trial conference on September 8 at 2 p.m. in Courtroom 4.
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Zach Curtis hung out to dry - again.
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Previously/Background:
◼ Allison Jackson puts a crimp in secret plea deal - John Chiv/Words Worth Jul 30, 2014
◼ Previous plea deal rejected back on table with no victim notification; exact deal - John Chiv/Words Worth Jun 30, 2014
◼ Judge Feeney tentatively rejects Workman plea deal; final decision is the same, case to go to jury trial - John Chiv/Words Worth Apr 15, 2014
◼ Elmy Workman sentencing postponed again, this time defense requests continuance based on amended probation report - John Chiv/Words Worth Apr 3, 2014
◼ Elmy Workman sentencing postponed again. - John Chiv/Words Worth Mar 20, 2014
◼ Defense and private attorneys run the courtroom under Paul's watch? - John Chiv/Words Worth Mar 12, 2014
◼ Another case where comments sections get out of control - Real News From The North Coast June 3, 2012
◼ Suspect arrested after woman stabbed in Arcata - Times-Standard May 31, 2012
◼ Blue Laker Slashed, One Arrested - Arcata Eye May 30, 2012

Tuesday, May 29 at approximately 6:45 p.m., officers responded to Mad River Community Hospital on the report of a woman arriving at the emergency room that had just been stabbed....The victim attempted to flag down the suspect to speak with her adult son who was in the vehicle.

According to Arcata Police, when the suspect and victim pulled their vehicles off the roadway, the discussion turned to an argument. During the argument, the suspect slashed the victim across the abdomen with a knife, resulting in a moderate injury requiring hospitalization.

◼ APD Press Release - May 29, 2012

Ms. Doolittle had been custody since 2011 without the case moving forward

◼ How a defense attorney and prosecutor worked together to get justice with a human touch - John Chiv/Words Worth

Virginia Doolittle was initially charged with murder. On 7/14/14, she plead to a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter for 6 years with a 1 year added for the special allegation of the use of deadly weapon; in this case a knife.

Doolittle will not get probation. She will have to serve the jail time and Judge Feeney informed her that she has to serve at least 85% of that time, and the good time credits cannot be applied to reduce jail time. I asked Ms. Bryson about this and clarified , "She will have to serve the remaining time in prison. She has already served almost 3 years in jail. She will get credit for that time and receive additional credits at 15% because voluntary manslaughter is a strike, and therefore, 85% of the sentence must be served.

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Three years is a long time to sit waiting in jail - imagine if you were innocent.

For God's Sake, How Many More Of These Guys Are Out There?

From the early days of Gallegos' tenure (2003 to now), the complaint has been, they're out before the ink is dry. We've chronicled a never-ending parade of bizarre plea bargains, the endless saga of letting seriously bad guys go. Charges reduced to nothing. Out on probation, picked up again, let out again, increasingly violent, let out again, and again, and again til someone ends up shot, or dead.

◼ The Escalation of 'Wild Bill' - Documents raise questions about an officer's shooting - Thadeus Greenson/The Journal

It was about 2:45 p.m. on May 6, when a Humboldt County Sheriff's deputy and a sergeant arrived at a residence on Shelter Cove's Kelly Road, where 55-year-old William Lloyd Nelson was living. Several weeks earlier, Nelson's girlfriend of 15 years, and the mother of his son, filed a request for a domestic violence restraining order from the Humboldt County Superior Court, alleging that Nelson had threatened her life, coming to her door with a loaded Glock pistol in one hand and an ax in the other. She alleged that Nelson knocked holes in her walls with the ax and "waved the gun around" while threatening her. The court set the matter for a hearing and granted the temporary restraining order, as well as an accompanying "move-out" order that required Nelson to immediately vacate the residence, which was owned by his girlfriend and her father.

Court records indicate deputies initially attempted to serve Nelson with the order on April 27 but were unable to find him. They returned on May 6 and, according to Sheriff Mike Downey, spoke with Nelson. Downey declined to discuss the exchange in detail, but said the situation escalated and culminated with Nelson opening fire on the officers with a handgun, shooting one in the chest before retreating into the home. Downey said the officers returned fire as they attempted to flee to safety. A bullet-proof vest likely saved the injured deputy's life, Downey said, adding that he was shot at "close proximity."

...Probation reports from Nelson's prior convictions, unsealed after he was charged May 9 with the attempted murder of a police officer, show a string of contacts between Nelson and local law enforcement dating back to 2006. They paint a picture of a man with a propensity for stock piling weapons and disregarding the terms of his probation, and they raise a host of questions....

August of 2006... pulled over for speeding on U.S. Highway 101 and found to be drunk...handcuffed and placed in a patrol car, at which point he "proceeded to smash the window of the vehicle." A search of Nelson's car found a pair of semi-automatic pistols, a shotgun, a number of loaded magazines and night vision binoculars. Charged with drunk driving, felony vandalism and resisting arrest, Nelson ultimately pleaded guilty to a single count of misdemeanor drunk driving, commonly known as a "wet and reckless," and was placed on three year's summary probation.

(June 2007) assaulted a man with a firearm.... The case went to trial but the jury hung, after which Nelson pleaded no contest to a single count of negligently discharging a firearm. He was sentenced to time served and three year's summary probation.

(July 2008/2009?) prosecutors filed a complaint alleging Nelson had used an assault rifle to shoot up a cell phone tower neighboring his Shelter Cove home....

"Some Shelter Cove residents referred to him as 'Wild Bill' and it was known when the defendant became angry with people he would show up at their residences and shoot 'stuff,'"...

Read the whole piece, there's more, and more and more - and were it not for a bulletproof vest, we'd have another murder on the docket.

January of next year cannot come soon enough.

How many more? How many increasingly violent repeat offenders that Gallegos has failed to do anything about? How many more people will get hurt? How many more will die?
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◼ Officer Shot - HCSO PRESS RELEASE
◼ UPDATE: Deputy Shot in Shelter Cove, Suspect in Custody - Thadeus Greenson/The Journal

In May 2011, Nelson was sentenced to serve 336 days in county jail, three years in prison and three years probation after being convicted of felony vandalism, shooting at an unoccupied vehicle, discharging a firearm in a negligent manner and possessing a firearm within 10 years of a felony conviction.

◼ (UPDATING) Reports of Shooting in Shelter Cove - ANDREW GOFF/Lost Coast Outpost 5/6/14
◼ (UPDATED) Nelson Arrested: Shelter Cove Shooting Suspect Taken Into Custody Early This Morning - Kym Kemp/Lost Coast Outpost 5/7/14
◼ Update: Deputy shot in chest during Shelter Cove eviction - Times-Standard 5/7/14
◼ Suspect arrested in shooting of California deputy - SF EXAMINER 5/7/14

This week in Plea Deals: Trinidad stabbing defendant gets a year in jail and five years probation for the January stabbing death of Jesse Alvin Ruiz

◼ Trinidad stabbing defendant gets 1 year in jail; Larry Clinton Morrow could face up to 11 years in prison if he violates probation - Jillian Singh/The Times-Standard

Judge Marilyn Miles said she was following the recommendation of the plea agreement when she handed down the sentence. Miles ordered Morrow to pay Ruiz's family $4,200 in restitution. He faces up to 11 years in prison if he violates the terms of his probation....

Public defender Gregory Elvine-Kreis said Morrow was defending himself and what happened “will haunt him and Ruiz's family for the rest of their lives.”

”My client would like to apologize for the family's loss,” Elvine-Kreis said. “He's been nothing but forthright with police officers and remorseful, repeating 'I stabbed him, I stabbed him,' as soon as they arrived. This was a story of self-defense. My client was attacked. He was challenged to a fight and there was damage done to his trailer.”
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What do you think? No real word here on what he pled to... If it was self defense, that's a harsh sentence. If not, it's awful light.

Court Beat: The human face of the criminal justice system

◼ Drug busts, plea deals, high profile cases that make headlines. The media covers those but the daily grind of following a case from start to finish is not something that entices a reporter or reader. Usually.

The human face of the criminal justice system are the addicts, the mentally ill, the abused, the poor, the ones who do not have the support of family or friends yet survive and succeed.

This last week, there have been at least two success stories that were very heartwarming. This happened in two courtrooms this week, as I waited for yet another case to be called. The case I was covering was grinding its way through the painstaking slow criminal justice procedures; dates being reset, resolutions being discussed.

I like to follow the life of the case. It is one of the reasons I do this regular court beat. It gives a view into the reality of the criminal justice system....Read the rest, at the link.

Digging through court records, News Editor Thadeus Greenson learned that Bullock had been deemed "ineligible" by the court back in 2012 for a plea bargain agreement that was the result of a previous brush with the law. Why was he ineligible?

◼ Publisher: Court docs unsealed - Judy Hodgson/The Journal

"There was reference to a probation report (under seal by the court)," Greenson said. "I read the law. ... I'm no lawyer, but it seemed to me it should be a public document."

Three months later, Bullock's old probation report — along with similar reports for Bodhi Tree and Vincent Earnest Sanchez, two more men awaiting trial for unrelated high-profile crimes — have been unsealed.

◼ UNSEALED - THE JOURNAL ONLINE
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And, BTW, Plea deals.

Plea deals in Ferrer case tossed

Plea deals in Ferrer case tossed - Links to coverage by John Chiv, Mad River Union, Lost Coast Outpost, Times-Standard, KIEM Ch 3 News, and more. Updated as they're filed.

◼ Plea bargains rejected in Ferrer case - John Chiv/Words Worth UPDATED

◼ The Judge explains her reasoning. Gallegos late to the hearing. - John Chiv/Words Worth UPDATED

Once Judge Hinrichs was done explaining the rules and the plea bargaining, she opened her remarks with, "This case is a tragedy." She said the Court had read and reviewed all documents presented and these were from all the attorneys and Probation and the victim's family.

She then said her tentative decision was to set the pleas aside. She explained why and read post 1 (link above) for those details.

◼ MAD RIVER UNION

◼ Judge Tosses Plea Deals in Anderson-Jordet Stabbing Case - Hank Sims/Lost Coast Outpost UPDATED

...Judge Hinrichs said that it was not in the public interest to accept the plea agreements and signaled that she would disqualify herself from hearing the case in the future.

◼ Times-Standard

A Humboldt County Superior Court judge set aside the pleas of three people charged in connection with the fatally stabbing of an Arcata chef in November at their sentencing hearing today.

Judge Joyce D. Hinrichs also set May preliminary hearing dates in the cases to determine whether they will face trial.

...His family asked the judge to set aside the plea, saying manslaughter didn’t represent the scope of the crime.

Arcata residents Nicholas Benjamin Stoiber, 28, and Sophie Buttercup Rocheleau, 24, also had their no contest pleas set aside. There were accused of beating Anderson-Jordet during the altercation.
Rocheleau had plead to a misdemeanor battery charge while Stoiber plead to a charge of assault likely to produce bodily harm.

News Channel 3 - Judge did not accept plea deals in the Ferrer case Juan Ferrer is the man who plead guilty to fatally stabbing 50 year old Douglas Anderson-Jordet in the heart in downtown Arcata.

Ferrer will appear in court again for a preliminary hearing on May 28th.

We have reporter in the courtroom. We'll have more details as they become available.
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◼ Plea deals tossed in Arcata fatal stabbing case; Judge: Decision made to keep 'public's confidence in the justice system' - Will Houston/The Times-Standard

A Humboldt County superior court judge on Thursday rejected the plea deals of three Arcata residents charged in the Nov. 25 fatal stabbing of chef Douglas Anderson-Jordet, saying she did “not believe justice would be served.”

Judge Joyce Hinrichs said she would be acting as both the “judge and the jury” by moving forward with their sentencings.

”It would undermine the public's confidence in the justice system,” Hinrichs said. “To not set aside the pleas erodes the public's confidence.”

...District Attorney Paul Gallegos argued that Hinrichs' statement of acting as both the judge and the jury should not apply to this case.

”What the court has is the inherent power to accept or reject the plea deal,” Gallegos said.

Hinrichs said her ruling might have been different if she had been able to review all the documents. She noted that Gallegos' office brought her three inches of new documents to review right before the sentencing hearing.

...Though he supported the plea deal, Gallegos said he was “happy accepting the court's ruling.”

”I think the court's ruling results in a just resolution,” he said.

◼ Judge Tosses Plea Deals In Arcata Stabbing Case - Jack Durham/Mad River Union (UPDATED at 8:27 a.m. April 4 with edits, additional information and photos.)

Hinrichs said she would take the blame for giving tentative approval to the plea deals last month. She said at the time, she hadn’t heard objections to the deals from the victim’s family. It wasn’t until after tentative approval of the plea deals last month that the family became publicly vocal about what they perceive as light sentences for the suspects.

“I didn’t ask enough questions,” said Hinrichs, who added that she should have paid closer attention to the state’s Victims Bill of Rights. “Hindsight is 20/20.” Hinrichs said that she doesn’t believe that “justice would be served” by allowing the plea deals to stand....

At today’s hearing, Hinrichs explained how she arrived at her decision, citing the various briefs and letters she had read. She then explained the reasons for her decision, which she said would be tentative until she had a chance to hear from the DA and the defense attorneys at the hearing. This left the door open for the attorneys to convince her to change her decision, but she was unpersuaded.

Gallegos, representing the People, had the first opportunity to respond, but he wasn’t present in the room. There was a short delay before Gallegos arrived. When he finally did, one of his assistants briefly whispered in his ear, presumably telling him what he had missed.

Gallegos, having missed the judge’s explanation of her decision, seemed somewhat confused by her rationale, which he hadn’t heard in its entirety. He said he would respect whatever decision to court made and said he thought that, in the end, justice would prevail.

“The true evidence will come out sooner or later,” Gallegos said.

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◼ Prior posts on this case: Sophie Buttercup Rocheleau, Nicholas Benjamin Stoiber and Juan Joseph Ferrer, the three suspects in the Anderson-Jordet killing, who had accepted the plea deals that have now been tossed. HERE

What's next? Re-filing. A Preliminary Hearing. A trial or another set of plea deals.

Preliminary hearing set for May 28 at 8:30 a.m.

Eureka police: Homicide investigation launched; 2 dead ID'd UPDATES: SUSPECT ARRESTED, CRIMINAL HISTORY, PLEA DEALS

◼ UPDATED: Homicide in Eureka Home; Caller Tells Police of ‘Large Amount of Blood’ - Hank Sims/Lost Coast Outpost

The deceased have been identified but their names are being withheld until family members have been notified.

◼ Anyone with information about this investigation should call the Eureka Police at 707-441-4044. - Times-Standard - Breaking News
◼ Harris Street double murder confirmed as a homicide - John Chiv/Words Worth
◼ LOCO commenters raise good questions in the Harris Street murder - John Chiv/Words Worth

UPDATES:

Times-Standard - The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office has identified one of the Eureka double homicide victims as Richard Charles Storre. Storre, 60, ran Freshwater Farms, a native plant nursery in Myrtletown. The name of the second victim has not been released.

◼ Updated: Arrest made in Eureka double homicide, 1 victim ID'd by coroner - Times-Standard 3/27/2014

Eureka Police have made an arrest in the murder of two Eureka men.

On Thursday at 5:57 p.m., Eureka Police officers were dispatched to 2109 Harris Street in Eureka on a citizen's report of an injured person in the house at that location. Officers entered the house to render first aid and found a man deceased with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head. Officers checked the rest of the house for other persons who may need help and found a second person deceased as well. He too suffered from a gunshot wound to the head.

Based on evidence collected at the scene investigators believe the crime was a double homicide.

◼ EPD: Suspect in Last Night’s Double Homicide in Custody - Hank Sims/Lost Coast Outpost

◼ Vincent Sanchez arrested in double murder homicide on Harris - John Chiv/Words Worth

◼ 2nd Update: Police Investigating Eureka Double Homicide; - Thadeus Greenson/The Journal

The suspect arrested after a double homicide in Eureka on Wednesday evening has a criminal history that includes one case that captured local headlines a few years back.

According to court records, Vincent Earnest Sanchez, 29, was arrested for separate DUI offenses in 2007 and 2008 and later convicted of both. In 2009, he broke into the Ingomar Club armed with a long sword and a hatchet and was alleged to have caused more than $10,000 in damage before officers arrested him with the help of a police dog. The Times-Standard covered the arrest at the time.

Sanchez was charged with second-degree burglary, resisting arrest and vandalism in the case, though the latter two charges were later dismissed as a part of a plea deal that saw him sentenced to serve 288 days in county jail and three years probation. Last year, Sanchez was again arrested for felony vandalism, but the charge was reduced to a misdemeanor in a plea agreement that saw him sentenced to three years probation.

◼ Suspect arrested in double homicide investigation in Eureka - KIEM

The Humboldt County Coroner confirms Sanchez is the half-brother of one of the victims, 25-year-old Lance Delbert Henry.

"They've known each other for a long time, so this wasn't a stranger on stranger kind of deal," Chief Mills said....

EPD officials confirm they responded to the 2100 block of Harris Street on Wednesday at about 6 p.m. after a friend of Richard Charles Storre went to check on him and found him severely injured inside the home. Police responded to the report and found Storre and Henry dead inside the home.

"It's pretty apparent to us that it looks like a gunshot wound," said Chief Mills.

According to police, the two victims and the suspect had been living together. A neighbor who did not want to go on camera told News Channel 3 that he had not heard any gun shots in the home, and that he would often see Richard Storre walking his dog outside. However, this week, he last saw Storre walking his dog on Sunday. Police say the murders could have taken place as early as Monday afternoon. Authorities also say that they believe the murders were a thought out process.

"I don't want to say premeditated at this point, but this was not a random act of violence," Chief Mills said.

A motive is still under investigation, and Vincent Earnest Sanchez has been charged with two counts of homicide and is currently booked in the Humboldt County Jail. There are no other suspects at this time.

◼ Victims in Eureka double murder knew suspect; arrested man was half-brother of one, lived in other man's home - Times-Standard Staff Report: Will Houston, Lorna Rodriguez, Melissa Simon and Kimberly Wear contributed to this report.

The victims of a double homicide in Eureka were a well-known Myrtletown native plant nursery owner and the half-brother of suspect Vincent Earnest Sanchez, who was arrested and booked into Humboldt County jail on two counts of homicide, officials said Thursday.

Freshwater Farms owner Richard “Rick” Charles Storre, 60, and Lance Delbert Henry, 25, were each found dead with a gunshot wound to the head after Eureka Police Department officers responded to a report of an injured person at a house on the 2100 block of Harris Street just before 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Henry is the half-brother of Sanchez, 28, who was detained at the scene and has a criminal record that included time in a state psychiatric hospital. The brothers had been staying with Storre, according to Humboldt County Deputy Coroner Roy Horton.

Horton said the victims had been dead for “a couple of days.”

◼ Autopsy: Double homicide victims killed by one gunshot each; police disclose additional information about crime scene - Will Houston/The Times-Standard 4/01/2014

(Eureka Police Detective Sgt. Bill) Nova said that autopsy estimates the murders occurred anywhere from “24 to 48 hours” before the bodies were found.

The autopsy report showed that there were no signs of struggle or additional injuries other than the gunshot wounds, Nova said.

The suspected killer, 28-year-old Vincent Sanchez, of Eureka, was detained at the scene and later booked in the county jail on March 26 where he was denied bail. Sanchez pleaded not guilty to the two counts of murder at the Humboldt County Superior Courthouse on March 28.

Nova said Sanchez and Henry -- who were half-brothers -- had been living at Storre's residence for an extended period of time. Storre was the owner of Freshwater Farms, a native plant nursery in Myrtletown. As to whether Sanchez had remained at the residence after the murders were committed, Nova said he was unable to comment.

HISTORY:

◼ Suspected burglar found with sword, hatchet - Sean Garmire/The Times-Standard 1/14/2009
◼ Eureka Car-Kicking Spree Ends When Suspect Kicks Police Car - Hank Sims/Lost Coast Outpost 2/11/2013

Anderson-Jordet's family ask Klein to challenge district attorney's plea deal

◼ DA, local expert weigh in on case -Will Houston/The Times-Standard

...Anderson-Jordet, a 50-year old chef and Arcata resident, was killed in the early morning hours of Nov. 25 after an altercation with Ferrer and two other Arcata residents. He was stabbed once in the heart....

After receiving a narrative from the autopsy report -- stating that the victim also received a puncture wound on his upper-left chest and a “'defense' injury” on his left index finger during the altercation -- Anderson-Jordet's sister Donna Johnson said her family felt an involuntary manslaughter charge did not represent the scope of the crime....

District Attorney Paul Gallegos recently reassigned Firpo from the case at her request. She said she did not want it to become “conflated with a political campaign.”

Gallegos -- who has since taken over the case -- said he will not be challenging the plea deal as requested by the family. He said claims that the case was not thoroughly investigated are “inaccurate,” and the courts will decide the next course of action.

”I am very familiar with the facts in the autopsy report,” Gallegos said. “The next course is what conclusion does one want to draw from the physical evidence? I am very familiar with deaths and injuries.”

Gallegos IS seeking the death penalty against Jason Anthony Warren

◼ A Capital Question: A May trial could bring the death penalty debate to the foreground in the DA race - Thadeus Greenson/The Journal

...With little attention or fanfare, Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos is seeking the death penalty against Jason Anthony Warren in a case scheduled to go to trial in May. If a jury ultimately convicts and condemns Warren, it would be the first time Humboldt has sent someone to death row in nearly 25 years....

The 29-year-old, who has a violent history, stands accused of torturing and killing a Hoopa woman, Dorothy Ulrich, on the morning of Sept. 26, 2012 before taking a car from her residence and driving to Eureka, where he allegedly intentionally hit three runners, killing Suzanne Seemann and seriously injuring Jessica Hunt and Terri Vroman-Little. A gag order was issued in the case shortly after Warren was charged, preventing officials from speaking publicly about the case. Consequently, Gallegos has been unable to explain his rationale for pursuing the death penalty for the first time in his tenure as DA....

During the first debate in the race to replace Gallegos next year, the four candidates — Allan Dollison, Elan Firpo, Maggie Fleming and Arnie Klein — were asked for their thoughts on the death penalty.

Dollison, a former deputy district attorney and a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, said he supports capital punishment in limited cases. "It should be on the table," he said. Fleming, also a former deputy district attorney now working in County Counsel's office, generally agreed, saying it's a "most-extraordinary punishment" that should be reserved for certain cases. Fleming noted that, in her decades as a prosecutor, she never once felt it was appropriate for a case she was handling.

On the other end of the spectrum, Firpo said plainly she's against capital punishment. "I don't think civilized societies kill people for killing people," she said. "It just doesn't make sense." Klein, who has a 40-year history in criminal law including 20 years as a prosecutor, offered a scattershot answer. First, he said he used to believe in the punishment, noting he was a young prosecutor who felt he had God on his side and believed cops never lied. But, Klein said, he's "evolved" and now prefers pursuing a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. He also noted that in California, "we don't really have a death penalty, so seeking one doesn't make sense."
__________________◼ Death Penalty in Warren case that may be dismissed but Tree gets a pass, what is Paul's thought process? - John Chiv/Words Worth

...Thad explained that the decision to seek the death penalty against Warren was not a recent one and that Paul made that call a while ago, Thad thinks possibly even before the preliminary hearing. There is a gag order in the case and Thad mentioned since not all reporters can show up for every hearing, not all of us may know about the gag order. This is true, I have seen that myself. One of the reasons I chose to go to every hearing in a case I cover.

Thad wanted to stress Paul did not release this information to him....

There is a death penalty policy that the Humboldt County District Attorney's office has and due to space, Thad could not include it in the story. While he shared it with me, I did not get it from Paul nor does it have a date so Paul how do you come to these decisions involving a person's life?

What is the Death Penalty Policy?
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So much time has gone by, and only now this comes out. Do we have the manpower or the resources for this case? Does he have time to try this between now and December? Remember, he leaves in January. This case will end up dropped in the lap of the incoming DA - another f-up for them to deal with. IMO

Here we go...he will not challenge the plea deal

◼ Arcata fatal stabbing case reassigned from Firpo to Gallegos - Times-Standard

Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos said today that he has reassigned the Douglas Anderson-Jordet fatal stabbing case from Deputy District Attorney Elan Firpo to himself.

Gallegos said his decision had “nothing to do” with Firpo's handling of the case or the quality of her work, but due to the case being used for other purposes by two of Firpo's fellow candidates in the upcoming district attorney election.

”It was my own inner sense of justice for everyone involved and my disappointment that some would use this case for political purposes instead of trying to seek justice,” Gallegos said....

Gallegos said he has corresponded with the family and understands their grief, but said that he will not challenge the plea deal as “the legal system does not aspire to accomplish the individual aspirations of victims or their families.”

”My heart goes out to them,” Gallegos said. “... But our job as prosecutors is to listen and exercise compassion without sentimentality.”

As a prosecutor, Gallegos said their decisions “cannot be based on the will of the individuals,” but must be supported by “evidence proved beyond a reasonable doubt.”

”We don't represent the victims, we represent the people of the state of California,” Gallegos said.

”I am responsible for all of the decisions in my office and the one person that is not making a decision based on political motivations one way or another,” Gallegos said. “I am used to the hue and cry of politics.”
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So, are we to take it he is asking the judge to put aside the plea agreement? For all three defendants? The case goes to trial?

◼ Gallegos reassigns Firpo from Arcata fatal stabbing case; DA will not challenge killer's plea deal - Will Houston/The Times-Standard