Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The court hearing for accused murderer John Allen Booth Jr. this morning was low key compared with the Onalaska man’s previous appearances in front of a judge.

John Allen Booth Jr.

Booth, 31, pleaded not guilty to two counts of aggravated murder, new charges in the August triple homicide in Salkum which could potentially bring a death penalty.

“Do you have any questions of the court at this time?” Lewis County Superior Court Judge Richard Brosey asked.

“Nope,” Booth responded.

Whereas his first appearance in a Chehalis courtroom and his arraignment with Ryan J. McCarthy attracted crowds of family and friends of both victims and defendants, this morning’s hearing drew only a handful of spectators, including Lewis County sheriff’s detectives and Booth’s fiancee.

Booth is charged with murder and extortion in connection with the gunshot deaths on Aug. 21 of David J. West Sr. 52, his son David J. West Jr., 16, and Tony E. Williams, 50, of Randle. He is charged with attempted murder of 51-year-old Denise Salts. The aggravated murder charges are for the deaths of the younger West and Williams.

At the request of defense attorney James Dixon, the judge this morning appointed a second lawyer to assist in the case. The new attorney is among a small number in Washington state qualified to work potential death penalty cases.

Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher told Judge Brosey he understands the arraignment triggers a 30-day deadline for prosecutors to decide whether to seek the death penalty, but said he anticipated the new lawyer might want to request an extension.

The two attorneys and the judge discussed allowing Booth his own copy of the  “discovery” – comprised so far of three three-ring binders of investigative materials as the defense prepares for trial.

“I would like a copy for Mr. Booth to review on his own time, without me having to be there,” Dixon said.

Meagher opposed the request, but Brosey agreed, provided identifying information about witnesses is blacked out and that Booth may not show or discuss with anyone its contents.

Outside the courtroom, Booth’s fiancee expressed frustration that he has been painted as a monster. She said people don’t know a lot about the man who was just released from prison in December.

“This is a man who was gainfully employed, he was employed from the time he got out and was signing up for a college class,” Shawna Trent said. “He had his (life) together. We were making a new life together.”

Until Booth was arrested, he was working in Tacoma at a supplier of foam upholstery to the marine and automotive industries, according to Trent. They knew he was a felon, she said.

“They were giving him that chance, and he took full advantage of it,” she said.

Trent, a nursing student, said the couple was engaged in March, underwent what she called a Sharia wedding – an Islamic marriage ceremony – in June and had a December date set for a civil wedding ceremony.

The two decided to go ahead and marry in the near future, even though Booth is locked up, she said.

Those plans got put on hold however, she said, after she called the jail and asked how to go about arranging the civil ceremony. Within days she discovered his collect phone calls to her were blocked and she was barred from further visitation.

Trent, 35, was told her name was on a witness list so she is prevented from having any contact with her fiance.

A trial date has not yet been set for Booth.

If convicted of the higher charges, the only two possible penalties are life in prison without the possibility of release or death.
•••

Read some of the previous stories on the case:

• “Death penalty is on the table” in Salkum slayings from Thursday Sept. 30, 2010 here

• “West Sr. pointed shotgun telling pair of ex-cons to leave his house, triggering triple homicide, unsealed court documents allege” from Saturday Sept. 4, 2010 here

• “Unsealed document: More details on Salkum slayings” from Monday Sept. 6, 2010 here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

An out of work logger who blew up his own rural Chehalis mailbox in an attempt to make people believe he was a “private eye” with key information about a $90 million Ponzi scheme under investigation has been convicted of numerous federal charges in a trial that ended this week in U.S. District Court, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Kevin W. Williams, 45, was taken into custody Wednesday and faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced, according to a news release.

Williams was convicted after a seven day jury trial in Tacoma of nine federal felony charges, including extortion, wire fraud and possession of firearms either unregistered or without a serial number, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesperson Emily Langlie.

According to case records and trial testimony, Williams hatched a scheme in 2007 to make money by claiming he had information of value to victims of a massive Ponzi scheme fraud based in the Atlanta, Georgia area, Langlie wrote. His step-mother and brother-in-law were victims of the Ponzi fraud, according to case documents.

In a bid to gain credibility, the Doty resident blew up his own mailbox on Chandler Road with a pipe bomb on Oct. 21, 2007, according to federal prosecutors. The blast, which would have badly injured Williams if it had occurred as he described, was investigated by Lewis County sheriff’s detectives and ultimately by ATF agents and U.S. Postal inspectors, according to case documents.

Williams suggested he was targeted by someone who didn’t want him to reveal the information he had about the Ponzi scheme, according to case documents.

The U.S. Attorneys’ Office case documents go on to describe Williams threatening the Atlanta fraud victims who he wanted to be hired by. In the spring of 2008, Williams showed up for the Atlanta Ponzi trial and was arrested when local police searched his van and found a variety of guns, ammunition, blasting caps, rocket motors, metal pipe sections and a copy of the “Anarchists Cookbook”, assistant U.S. attorneys wrote.

After his arrest, one of William’s friends sent a note to the F.B.I. about the October mailbox bombing Williams had staged, prosecutors wrote.

In July 2009, Williams was indicted in the Western District of Washington and in June of this year, further charges were added, according to the assistant U.S. attorneys.

A jury deliberated about three hours and convicted Williams on all counts, according to Langlie.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 23.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Prosecutors tomorrow intend to upgrade charges against John Allen Booth Jr. to aggravated first-degree murder for two of the victims who were slain in August in an Onalaska-Salkum area home, elected Lewis County Prosecutor Michael Golden said yesterday.

If convicted of the higher charges, the only two possible penalties are life in prison without the possibility of parole or death.

John Allen Booth Jr.

The 31-year-old Onalaska man is accused of murder and extortion in connection with the deaths of David J. West Sr. 52, his son David J. West Jr., 16, and Tony E. Williams, 50, of Randle. He is also charged with attempted murder of 51-year-old Denise Salts. All four were found shot in the head early on Aug. 21 inside the West’s home off Gore Road. The sheriff has said he believes the shootings were related to a drug debt collection.

Booth has pleaded not guilty and remains held in the Lewis County Jail.

Golden said yesterday the ongoing investigation found three aggravating factors which warrant the increased charges: multiple homicides during the same crime, killing with a monetary motive and killing of witnesses to conceal  crime.

“A problem, a significant problem in Lewis County and elsewhere is tampering with witnesses and intimidating witnesses,” Golden said. “And murdering witnesses is one of the worst things a person can do.”

The increased charges will be for the 16-year-old boy and Williams who was visiting the home that night.

Golden said he’s not aware of aggravated murder being charged in Lewis County, at least looking back to 1981.

He expects Booth will be arraigned tomorrow on the new charges, triggering a 30-day deadline for Golden to decide if he intends to seek the death penalty.

“Once the decision was made to go for aggravated first-degree murder, clearly the death penalty is on the table,” Golden said.

Booth’s lawyer is already anticipating that possibility.

Ryan J. McCarthy

Olympia defense attorney James Dixon plans to ask the judge tomorrow to appoint death penalty case qualified counsel to assist him in Booth’s case.

Golden said no decision has been made whether to increase the charges of Ryan J. McCarthy, the 28-year-old Redmond man and former cell mate of Booth’s who is also accused of murder in the August slayings.

•••

Read the details of what prosecutor’s allege happened in the house that night:

• “West Sr. pointed shotgun telling pair of ex-cons to leave his house, triggering triple homicide, unsealed court documents allege” from Saturday Sept. 4, 2010 here

• “Unsealed document: More details on Salkum slayings” from Monday Sept. 6, 2010 here

• “Two men plead not guilty to Salkum-Onalaska area shootings” from Friday Sept. 10, 2010 here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The owner of a Centralia property whose Harrison Avenue premises was visited two weeks ago by federal agents has been charged by indictment in a drug case after he was found to have nearly 10 pounds of cocaine hidden in his attic.

Donato Valle Vega was arrested on Sept. 17, the day after law enforcement officers descended on Emmanuel Auto Sales.

He is accused of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, according to the indictment which was filed last Thursday in U.S. District Court.

Valle Vega remains in federal custody, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. His arraignment is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Friday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, according to spokesperson Emily Langlie.

The complaint in the case describes four individually wrapped kilogram-sized blocks of powder cocaine retrieved from the attic of the building on Harrison Avenue. A kilogram is roughly equivalent to 2.2 pounds.

While the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration didn’t put a street value on the find, the price of one kilo in Southwest Washington could range from $22,000 to $26,000, according to DEA Special Agent Jodie Underwood.

County records show the property is owned by Donato and Irma Valle-Vega. A woman at the business the day after the arrest declined to comment.

Centralia police issued a news release the weekend following the arrest noting they assisted. The DEA referred inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to the complaint filed last week in U.S. District Court, an FBI agent and a DEA agent met with Valle Vega on Sept. 2 at Fort Borst Park in Centralia.

They allege he admitted hiding drugs at his business and then he accompanied the two to Emmanuel Auto Sales where he showed them the bundles.

The document goes to say: Valle Vega told the FBI agent he got five and half kilos in July, but had already distributed one and a half kilograms to a customer in August.

The document doesn’t explain why he was not arrested until a little more than two weeks later.

Langlie of the U.S. Attorney’s Office says it’s not something they would comment on, other than noting investigations involve many steps.

The motion for a detention order cites a serious risk the defendant will flee, and the safety of any other person and the community. The crime has a maximum sentence of ten years or more.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The man who opened fire on two suspected burglars at his Onalaska house killing one of them, was charged yesterday with first-degree manslaughter and first-degree assault.

Ronald A. Brady, 60, faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted for the events that happened in April.

Thomas McKenzie, 56, of Morton, died from a gunshot wound to his chest, according to charging documents filed in Lewis County Superior Court. His estranged wife, Joanna McKenzie, 32, was fleeing when Brady fired at her, according to charging documents.

Thomas McKenzie’s family was overjoyed upon learning the news, the dead man’s younger sister said this morning.

“I’m so happy; oh gosh, I’ve been bawling my eyes out,” Colleen Wolczak said. “It doesn’t bring my brother back, but I am so grateful.

“A normal person would not be laying in wait in the garage.”

Brady admitted firing at the pair outside his house he was rebuilding on the 2100 block of state Route 508, describing to deputies opening his garage door and finding two flashlights shined in his face, according to charging documents.

He told sheriff’s detectives he was staying overnight at the house in case burglars from earlier in the day returned. Brady resides in a nearby rental home.

Sheriff Steve Mansfield, after the investigation was finished in mid-July, announced he concluded Brady’s use of deadly force was justified and that he would not arrest the homeowner. The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, however, passed the case on to the prosecutor for his review.

Brady’s phone number is disconnected and could not be reached for comment this morning.

The sheriff’s office investigation determined Thomas McKenzie had gone with his wife to the house intending to burglarize it and the homeowner reacted to protect himself.

Joanna McKenzie was arrested and charged with attempted residential burglary in July.

Charging documents offer the following allegations:

On April 19, Brady reported somebody had broken into the house, moving items stored in his garage. He saw a back window had been broken and found the garage door opened about two inches.

Brady returned to his rental home and collected his .22 caliber rifle and 12-gauge shotgun and then went back to his house on state Route 508.

At about 9 p.m., he could see through the partially open garage door headlights from a vehicle pulling into his driveway and then he heard someone knock on his door. Brady said he also heard someone pound on the wall and say something to the effect the police were coming.

Brady told deputies after he opened the garage door and found flashlights shining in his face, he opened fire at one of them.

“Mr. Brady stated after shooting Mr. McKenzie, he opened fire on Joanna McKenzie as she fled,” charging documents state.

She ran toward the highway and flagged down a motorist to call 911 for help.

Joanna McKenzie told a deputy the couple was at the house with permission to take parts off a truck parked in its driveway.

Her trial for attempted burglary is set for the first week in October.

Wolczak, who spoke by telephone from her home in Salem, said she’s grateful as well her brother’s wife is charged with a crime.

She acknowledges her brother could have been at the house to steal something but blames Joanna McKenzie and her lifestyle for much of that.

“He was fighting and hoping to get his family back, and made poor choices,” Wolczak said.

The couple’s 3-year-old child is now in state custody and Thomas McKenzie’s two other minor children now live with their mother, according to Wolczak.

•••
Read previous stories related to the case:

• “Two more homicide cases now await charging decisions by Lewis County prosecutor” from Saturday Sept. 11, 2010 here

• “Three Lewis County homicides still unresolved as triple-slaying prosecution begins” from Wednesday Sept. 8, 2010 here

• “When is it OK to use deadly force in Lewis County?: Not so simple to answer, sheriff says” from Thursday July 15, 2010 here.

Read the charging documents in Joanna McKenzie’s burglary case here for more details on what prosecutor’s think happened that night.

• “News brief: Sheriff decides not to arrest man who shot burglar in Onalaska” from Monday July 12, 2010 here

• “News brief: Morton woman arrested for burglary in connection with April incident in Onalaska when her husband was fatally shot” from Monday July 12, 2010 here

• “April’s Onalaska shooting death case still awaits decision, reports” from June 15, 2010 here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A lawyer representing the Centralia parents charged in the case of an infant with broken bones told a judge yesterday there is an issue of a possible genetic condition that could have caused the fractures.

Defense attorney Chris Baum is the court-appointed attorney for 30-year-old Raymon E. Bell. The mother, Brandi J. Larson, 28, is represented by Mike Underwood, but Baum spoke for both parents yesterday afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court.

Both pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of second-degree assault of a child involving two children.

Charging documents describe a 29-day old baby with fractures in her upper left arm, her lower left leg and her right foot. A test also showed the child had THC – an element of marijuana – in its system, according to the documents.

The findings came after the parents took the newborn to the emergency room at Providence Centralia Hospital on June 20 and a social worker contacted Centralia police.

Bell reportedly told hospital personnel he was holding the baby and stumbled, causing it to strike its arm and leg.

The baby has been taken into state custody.

The charges were initially filed last week, and on Monday, prosecutors added the charges involving a toddler. Those charges allege assault of a 2-year-old occurring in April or May of last year. The nature of that alleged assault is not described in court documents.

Bell and Larson are being held in the Lewis County Jail on $25,000 bail.

Baum asked Judge Nelson Hunt yesterday to reduce bail for Bell, a Centralia College student, saying he did have some criminal history that dates back to 2002, but “by and large, he’s been on the straight and narrow.”

The judge said no. Hunt also declined to reduce bail for the mother – a part time Jack-in-the-Box worker.

A trial date was set for the first week in November.