By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Since a coroner’s inquest has concluded former trooper Ronda Reynolds’ 1998 manner of death – homicide, the state Court of Appeals decided the civil case between her mother and former Lewis County Coroner Terry Wilson is over and done with.
Ronda Reynolds
An unprecedented judicial review of the death in 2009 found Wilson’s conclusion Reynolds took her own life was arbitrary, capricious and incorrect. Reynolds’ mother, Barb Thompson of Spokane was elated over the decision, but wanted the higher court to clarify what can happen under a judicial review of a coroner’s decision.
In the decision filed yesterday, the three-judge panel said most of the issues are now “moot”.
The judges dismissed Wilson’s appeal and Thompson’s cross-appeal.
Attorneys who continued representing Wilson after he left office had asked for his appeal to be be dismissed.
The decision and the 2009 judicial review both stemmed from a 2006 civil case filed by Thompson.
Appeals court judges Joel Penoyar, David Armstrong and Jill Johnson also agreed in yesterday’s decision Thompson is not entitled to attorney fees as she failed to “preserve the issue.”
Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod presided in October over a coroner’s inquest. He officially took office in January 2010 replacing Wilson who had been coroner some three decades.
One of McLeod’s first acts was to announce he would conduct an inquest, then he put it on hold as he learned the appeals court was looking over the issue. Then the appeals court put the appeal on hold as they learned McLeod wanted to hold an inquest.
Ronda Reynolds, 33, died with a bullet in her head in the home she shared with husband of less than a year, Toledo Elementary School Principal Ron Reynolds. She was found dead on the floor of a small walk-in closet, covered up by a turned-on electric blanket.
An inquest jury ruled unanimously in October the manner of death was homicide and named Ron Reynolds and his son as responsible for the death. Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer declined to bring criminal charges.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Diane, you are right to ask these questions. Knowing this case inside and out, it is unfathomable to think that our Sheriff’s Dept. could purposely call a murder a suicide, but that is precisely what they did, and what they continue to do to this date. That question needs to be asked of the Sheriff, but it appears that everyone is afraid of him. Anyway, regarding the cost, I do know for certain that the Lewis County Commisioners have approved and paid for over $60,000 in attorneys fees for Terry Wilson and his defense of his actions, and the appeals, (which they ultimately decided to dismiss). It is an election year, people need to remember this when it becomes time to vote. That is our only recourse.
It’s about time….it only took 13 years to decide it was a homicide. How could something that was so clearly a murder to any right thinking person ever of been called a suicide? How much money has all this blundering cost the taxpayers and how much more before justice is served. Why weren’t the investigating officers able to find or come up with any evidence in all this time for such a more than obvious murder. They investigated it twice and both times insisted it was a suicide. What proof or evidence did they come up with in those “two investigations” that made them soooo sure it was a suicide that they refused to call it anything else. If this is a example of the investigating abilities of our county officials you can’t help and wonder how many other murders have happened here and just pushed under the rug because of poor investigative abilities.
That would bring to light the truth, and when the light shines the roachs scatter.
Ron Reynolds still has the right to challenging the Coroner’s determination of Homicide. He can bring a court action, just like Barb Thompson did, and prove to the court, by a preponderance of the evidence that she committed suicide. Just sayin…