◼ Stanko pleads in Pease's murder; Eureka man to be sentenced to 26 years to life in prison in plea deal
On the eve of trial, James Robert Stanko pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of murder in an agreement that will see him sentenced to 26 years to life in state prison for his role in the Feb. 6, 2009, stabbing death of Andrew Pease.
With jury selection slated to begin Wednesday in his trial, Stanko entered into a plea agreement with the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office on Tuesday in which he agreed to plead guilty to charges of murder, armed robbery and attempted armed robbery with a total prison term of 26 years to life, according to court minutes obtained from Humboldt County court records.
As a part of the plea, Stanko waived all rights to appeal, according to the minutes.
Deputy District Attorney Allan Dollison declined to comment on the plea agreement Wednesday, citing a gag order that has been in place in the case since February 2009 and prohibits members of law enforcement, attorneys and court employees from discussing the case publicly. Stanko's attorney, public defender Kevin Robinson, did not return a Times-Standard phone call seeking comment.
Stanko, 28, and James Robert Way, 31, both of Eureka, were on an armed robbery spree through the city on Feb. 6, 2009, having committed six in less than an hour, before they arrived in the parking lot of Ray's Food Place on Broadway. There, they attempted to rob Pease, a 36-year-old Army veteran and father of two, who was working with a developmentally disabled teen at the time. The details of the altercation remain unclear, but Pease was reportedly stabbed 13 times and died within minutes as Way and Stanko fled the scene....
Way pleaded guilty in March to charges of voluntary manslaughter, armed robbery and attempted armed robbery. He was sentenced to serve 18 years, four months in prison.
Stanko, who police have fingered as the one who stabbed Pease, seemed poised to stand trial until entering into the plea agreement Wednesday....
IN PRIOR COVERAGE it was noted that:
Because Way and Stanko are alleged to have committed murder in the course of a felony -- in this case an attempted robbery -- District Attorney Paul Gallegos said his office could choose to seek the death penalty in the case, but has yet to make that decision.
I guess he made a decision.
Showing posts with label Way/Stanko. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Way/Stanko. Show all posts
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Taped Jailhouse Confession w/update Murder suspects to stand trial
◼ Tape may shed light on Pease killing
A man charged in the February stabbing death of Eureka man Andrew Pease seems to have admitted to the killing in a recorded jail house conversation with his mother, which was played at a preliminary hearing in Humboldt County Superior Court Tuesday.
James Robert Stanko, 26, in a tortured conversation with his mother, Angela Manfredonia, the day after the killing, said it was him that killed Pease. He had been “driving around” with co-defendant John Lewis Way, 30, that night, he said. Stanko's mother asked her son if he'd killed somebody.
”It was me, man,” Stanko answered, “I don't want to f-in' talk about that.”
...Stanko and Way are charged in the Feb. 6 murder of 36-year-old Pease while he and a developmentally delayed child he was caring for were in the parking lot of Ray's Food Place on Broadway. The brutal stabbing allegedly came after a string of robberies and attempted robberies around Eureka that night. And while in court documents Stanko is alleged to be the man who repeatedly stabbed Pease, Way is also being charged with murder, as the killing happened during the commission of another felony.
Both men have pleaded not guilty and are in jail on $1 million bail. Stanko is being represented by public defender Kevin Robinson and Way is being represented by public defender David Lee.
Humboldt County Deputy District Attorney Arnie Klein on Tuesday presented the people's evidence against Stanko before Judge J. Bruce Watson....
◼ Detective says Way wished he'd stopped Stanko
John Lewis Way told his wife that he wished he'd intervened before a spate of robberies he's accused of participating in ended in the murder of a Eureka man in February, according to a Eureka detective who testified he'd listened in on the call from Humboldt County jail.
Detective Todd Wilcox said the phone call occurred sometime in mid-February after Way had been arrested on suspicion of robbery and murder, along with his friend James Robert Stanko. Investigators believe it was Stanko who stabbed to death 36-year-old Andrew Pease in a supermarket parking lot on Feb. 6 after the pair went on a robbery spree that lasted less than a half hour.
Wilcox testified at the Humboldt County Superior Court preliminary hearing that Way told his wife several times that he never stabbed anyone, and also that he wished he'd stopped Stanko before anyone was hurt....
◼ Murder suspects to stand trial
A man charged in the February stabbing death of Eureka man Andrew Pease seems to have admitted to the killing in a recorded jail house conversation with his mother, which was played at a preliminary hearing in Humboldt County Superior Court Tuesday.
James Robert Stanko, 26, in a tortured conversation with his mother, Angela Manfredonia, the day after the killing, said it was him that killed Pease. He had been “driving around” with co-defendant John Lewis Way, 30, that night, he said. Stanko's mother asked her son if he'd killed somebody.
”It was me, man,” Stanko answered, “I don't want to f-in' talk about that.”
...Stanko and Way are charged in the Feb. 6 murder of 36-year-old Pease while he and a developmentally delayed child he was caring for were in the parking lot of Ray's Food Place on Broadway. The brutal stabbing allegedly came after a string of robberies and attempted robberies around Eureka that night. And while in court documents Stanko is alleged to be the man who repeatedly stabbed Pease, Way is also being charged with murder, as the killing happened during the commission of another felony.
Both men have pleaded not guilty and are in jail on $1 million bail. Stanko is being represented by public defender Kevin Robinson and Way is being represented by public defender David Lee.
Humboldt County Deputy District Attorney Arnie Klein on Tuesday presented the people's evidence against Stanko before Judge J. Bruce Watson....
◼ Detective says Way wished he'd stopped Stanko
John Lewis Way told his wife that he wished he'd intervened before a spate of robberies he's accused of participating in ended in the murder of a Eureka man in February, according to a Eureka detective who testified he'd listened in on the call from Humboldt County jail.
Detective Todd Wilcox said the phone call occurred sometime in mid-February after Way had been arrested on suspicion of robbery and murder, along with his friend James Robert Stanko. Investigators believe it was Stanko who stabbed to death 36-year-old Andrew Pease in a supermarket parking lot on Feb. 6 after the pair went on a robbery spree that lasted less than a half hour.
Wilcox testified at the Humboldt County Superior Court preliminary hearing that Way told his wife several times that he never stabbed anyone, and also that he wished he'd stopped Stanko before anyone was hurt....
◼ Murder suspects to stand trial
Friday, February 20, 2009
Judge issues gag order in murder case
Court documents point to James Robert Stanko as the man who allegedly stabbed Eureka resident Andrew Pease, 36, to death in the parking lot of a Eureka grocery store during a spree of armed robberies committed with an accomplice earlier this month.
Stanko, 26, and John Lewis Way, 30, were both arrested Feb. 6, and have since been charged with murder, robbery and five counts of attempted robbery. Both men have pleaded not guilty to the charges, and remain held in Humboldt County jail on $1 million bail.
”On (Feb. 6, 2009) at about 18:25 hours, Way and Stanko were implicated in seven different robberies throughout Eureka in less than a one hour period,” reads a declaration of probable cause written by Eureka Police Detective Todd Wilcox. “Stanko used a knife to assault their final victim and inflicted serious injuries that the victim died from a short time later. I believe this based on witness statements and Way's admissions/statement.”
Visiting Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Thomas Smith granted a defense request for a gag order Wednesday, forbidding any attorneys involved with the case, their employees, investigating agencies and county employees from publicly talking about the facts or circumstances of the case. Anyone who violates the order can be held in contempt of court....
...The defendants could also face the death penalty if District Attorney Paul Gallegos chooses to pursue it. Gallegos, who is out of the office this week, has yet to announce how he intends to proceed, but has said it is not a decision he will take lightly.
One of a litany of factors often considered by prosecutors when deciding whether to pursue capital punishment is the defendant's list of prior felony convictions. According to Humboldt County Superior Court records, Stanko and Way have priors.
Stanko, according to records, was charged with DUI and flight from a traffic officer in 2006, and later agreed to plead no contest to a reckless driving charge. Stanko was due back in court today on a charge of violating the terms of his probation from that offense before his latest arrest.
Way, according to court records, has been named in almost a half dozen cases over the past decade.
In July 1999, Way was alleged to have assaulted four people with a knife and later pleaded guilty to a charge of assault and three charges of false imprisonment and was given a six year suspended sentence.
In April 2006, according to court records, Way was convicted of charges of driving under the influence and on a suspended or revoked license. Then, in April 2008, Way was arrested on suspicion of driving on a suspended license. A conviction on the later charge amounted to a probation violation for Way, and he was sentenced in October 2008 to serve a 30-day jail sentence.
Due to public records laws, the Humboldt County jail could not disclose when Way was last released from custody. Way and Stanko are scheduled to be back in court Feb. 26 for their preliminary hearing on the current charges of murder, robbery and attempted robbery.
☛ TS Judge issues gag order in murder case 2/20/09
☛TS Murder arraignment closed to the public 2/12/09
☛ TS One man dead after a rash of robberies in Eureka 2/9/09
☛ TS EPD seeks witnesses in fatal stabbing case 2/10/09
☛ TS Any moment 2/10/09
☛ TS Witnesses make the difference 2/11/09
☛ TS Two robbery spree suspects charged; arraignment today 2/11/09
☛ JN Witness recounts stabbing death 2/12/09
☛ TS An unfinished song: Memorial service scheduled Saturday 2/13/09
Stanko, 26, and John Lewis Way, 30, were both arrested Feb. 6, and have since been charged with murder, robbery and five counts of attempted robbery. Both men have pleaded not guilty to the charges, and remain held in Humboldt County jail on $1 million bail.
”On (Feb. 6, 2009) at about 18:25 hours, Way and Stanko were implicated in seven different robberies throughout Eureka in less than a one hour period,” reads a declaration of probable cause written by Eureka Police Detective Todd Wilcox. “Stanko used a knife to assault their final victim and inflicted serious injuries that the victim died from a short time later. I believe this based on witness statements and Way's admissions/statement.”
Visiting Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Thomas Smith granted a defense request for a gag order Wednesday, forbidding any attorneys involved with the case, their employees, investigating agencies and county employees from publicly talking about the facts or circumstances of the case. Anyone who violates the order can be held in contempt of court....
...The defendants could also face the death penalty if District Attorney Paul Gallegos chooses to pursue it. Gallegos, who is out of the office this week, has yet to announce how he intends to proceed, but has said it is not a decision he will take lightly.
One of a litany of factors often considered by prosecutors when deciding whether to pursue capital punishment is the defendant's list of prior felony convictions. According to Humboldt County Superior Court records, Stanko and Way have priors.
Stanko, according to records, was charged with DUI and flight from a traffic officer in 2006, and later agreed to plead no contest to a reckless driving charge. Stanko was due back in court today on a charge of violating the terms of his probation from that offense before his latest arrest.
Way, according to court records, has been named in almost a half dozen cases over the past decade.
In July 1999, Way was alleged to have assaulted four people with a knife and later pleaded guilty to a charge of assault and three charges of false imprisonment and was given a six year suspended sentence.
In April 2006, according to court records, Way was convicted of charges of driving under the influence and on a suspended or revoked license. Then, in April 2008, Way was arrested on suspicion of driving on a suspended license. A conviction on the later charge amounted to a probation violation for Way, and he was sentenced in October 2008 to serve a 30-day jail sentence.
Due to public records laws, the Humboldt County jail could not disclose when Way was last released from custody. Way and Stanko are scheduled to be back in court Feb. 26 for their preliminary hearing on the current charges of murder, robbery and attempted robbery.
☛ TS Judge issues gag order in murder case 2/20/09
☛TS Murder arraignment closed to the public 2/12/09
☛ TS One man dead after a rash of robberies in Eureka 2/9/09
☛ TS EPD seeks witnesses in fatal stabbing case 2/10/09
☛ TS Any moment 2/10/09
☛ TS Witnesses make the difference 2/11/09
☛ TS Two robbery spree suspects charged; arraignment today 2/11/09
☛ JN Witness recounts stabbing death 2/12/09
☛ TS An unfinished song: Memorial service scheduled Saturday 2/13/09
Friday, February 13, 2009
Heinous?
The Death Penalty? For the guys accused of stabbing, murdering really, Andrew Pease in the culmination of a string of five robberies? In front of witnesses.
The DA hasn't made up his mind because "it should be reserved for only the most heinous of crimes."
A-a-nd murder is...somehow NOT?
The DA hasn't made up his mind because "it should be reserved for only the most heinous of crimes."
A-a-nd murder is...somehow NOT?
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Way/Stanko, Pease Murder Case Coverage w/UPDATES
☛TS Murder arraignment closed to the public 2/12/09
Two men alleged to have stabbed a Eureka man to death during a robbery spree were arraigned in a hearing closed to the public Wednesday on charges of robbery, attempted robbery and murder, according to Humboldt County Sheriff's spokeswoman Brenda Godsey.
John Lewis Way, 30, and James Robert Stanko, 26, are alleged to have committed a string of five robberies and attempted robberies over a 25-minute span Friday night -- a string that culminated in Andrew Pease, 36, of Eureka, being stabbed to death in the parking lot of Ray's Food Place on Broadway.
In an arraignment held at the Humboldt County jail due to flooding in the Humboldt County courthouse, Stanko and Way were arraigned on charges of robbery, murder and five counts of attempted robbery, according to Godsey, who said she did not know whether the men entered pleas.
A Times-Standard request to attend the proceeding was denied by jail administrators, who cited security concerns. Numerous calls placed to members of the District Attorney's Office seeking the outcome of the arraignment were not returned, and those who were reached said they did not know.
The courthouse was closed and evacuated Wednesday afternoon due to mass flooding reportedly caused by a faulty valve in a second-floor bathroom. Arraignments scheduled to take place in the afternoon were moved to the jail, according to Godsey.
Because Way and Stanko are alleged to have committed murder in the course of a felony -- in this case an attempted robbery -- District Attorney Paul Gallegos said his office could choose to seek the death penalty in the case, but has yet to make that decision.
Related:
☛ HH Crime spree victim killed EPD Press release
☛ TS One man dead after a rash of robberies in Eureka 2/9/09
Three men were arrested Friday evening on suspicion of robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and homicide after a string of knife robberies over the course of one hour left a 36-year-old Eureka man dead....
...Eureka Police officers, with the assistance of Humboldt County Sheriff's Deputies, located the vehicle at the 1800 block of Buhne Drive in King Salmon. Three suspects were taken into custody, and a search warrant was later served.
Thirty-year-old John Lewis Way of Eureka, 27-year-old Daniel Joseph Dower of Nevada, and 26-year-old James Robert Stanko of Santa Cruz were all booked on suspicion of robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and homicide....
☛ TS EPD seeks witnesses in fatal stabbing case 2/10/09
☛ TS Any moment 2/10/09
☛ TS Witnesses make the difference 2/11/09
☛ TS Two robbery spree suspects charged; arraignment today 2/11/09
☛ JN Witness recounts stabbing death 2/12/09
☛ TS An unfinished song: Memorial service scheduled Saturday 2/13/09
...Way and Stanko pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, robbery and five counts of attempted robbery during a Wednesday arraignment that was closed to the public due to flooding at the courthouse. They remain held in Humboldt County jail on $1 million bail, and are due back in court today for a bail hearing.
Meanwhile, Andrew Pease's family and friends are left confronting lives irrevocably changed, and remembering the man they glowingly described as genuine, kind and unflinchingly devoted to his family.
☛ TS Judge issues gag order in murder case 2/20/09
Pled out:
◼ Stanko pleads in Pease's murder; Eureka man to be sentenced to 26 years to life in prison in plea deal
On the eve of trial, James Robert Stanko pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of murder in an agreement that will see him sentenced to 26 years to life in state prison for his role in the Feb. 6, 2009, stabbing death of Andrew Pease.
With jury selection slated to begin Wednesday in his trial, Stanko entered into a plea agreement with the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office on Tuesday in which he agreed to plead guilty to charges of murder, armed robbery and attempted armed robbery with a total prison term of 26 years to life, according to court minutes obtained from Humboldt County court records.
As a part of the plea, Stanko waived all rights to appeal, according to the minutes.
Deputy District Attorney Allan Dollison declined to comment on the plea agreement Wednesday, citing a gag order that has been in place in the case since February 2009 and prohibits members of law enforcement, attorneys and court employees from discussing the case publicly. Stanko's attorney, public defender Kevin Robinson, did not return a Times-Standard phone call seeking comment.
Stanko, 28, and James Robert Way, 31, both of Eureka, were on an armed robbery spree through the city on Feb. 6, 2009, having committed six in less than an hour, before they arrived in the parking lot of Ray's Food Place on Broadway. There, they attempted to rob Pease, a 36-year-old Army veteran and father of two, who was working with a developmentally disabled teen at the time. The details of the altercation remain unclear, but Pease was reportedly stabbed 13 times and died within minutes as Way and Stanko fled the scene....
Way pleaded guilty in March to charges of voluntary manslaughter, armed robbery and attempted armed robbery. He was sentenced to serve 18 years, four months in prison.
Stanko, who police have fingered as the one who stabbed Pease, seemed poised to stand trial until entering into the plea agreement Wednesday....
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