By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Lewis County Prosecutor Michael Golden wants the public to know that as he is preparing to prosecute last month’s triple homicide, he hasn’t forgotten about three other homicide cases from the past year that he has yet to make charging decisions on.
And he’s pointing to the sheriff’s office as the reason for the delays.
The cases include the Onalaska teenager who died from alcohol poisoning in Sept. 2009, a 58-year-old man who died following an assault in Randle in March and a Morton man who was shot dead by an Onalaska homeowner who said he was being burglarized.
“I have received several inquires about the Nickolas Barnes case in particular and the public has a right to know that this office is not sitting on any of these cases,” Golden said in an email message about the reason for a news release he distributed last week.
In his Thursday news release, Golden said he’s still waiting for further information in each of the cases from sheriff’s detectives.
“Allocation of resources is something every agency grapples with, and each department seeks to do the best job it can,” Golden wrote in his news release. “However, there is a real danger when a number of complex and resource-intensive cases backlog in an agency.
“Age will generally not improve the strength of a case and typically the passage of time can be expected to make a case more difficult to prove.”
The elected prosecutor is currently handling the Salkum-Onalaska area shooting deaths of a father, son and a Randle man, in what is the first triple slaying in Lewis County in probably at least three decades. He’s also contemplating, with two defendants, increasing the charges to aggravated first-degree murder, a charge that hasn’t been seen in Lewis County for perhaps more than the same number of years.
Golden also is facing an election in two months and the prospect he could be replaced after December 31.
He said he’s concerned about the cases hitting all at once and stretching his resources too thin.
“Justice delayed is justice denied,” Golden wrote in his news release. “To complete a prosecution in a timely fashion, the investigation must be received in a timely fashion. This community deserves to have these cases resolved, guilt or innocence established.”
Here are the cases:
• Nickolas Barnes, 15, died Sept. 21, 2009 of alcohol poisoning after he was found passed out in the front yard at an Onalaska home where detectives concluded the adult resident had provided alcohol during a party, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
The Onalaska High School student was found to have a blood alcohol level of .38, which is more than four times the legal limit for an adult while driving under the influence.
The resident, James W. Taylor, 28, was arrested Oct. 1 at his Lacey workplace and booked for second-degree manslaughter. He is not charged with a crime.
• Guy LaFontaine, 58, of Federal Way, died from injuries following an assault the evening of March 13 at the 11,000 block of U.S. Highway 12 in Randle, according to the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff’s deputies arrested a relative, Erik R. Massa, 42, of Randle, and booked him into jail for second-degree murder. He is not charged with a crime.
• Thomas McKenzie, 56, of Morton, died the night of April 19 when he was shot by the owner of a house under-construction on the 2100 block of state Route 508, according to the sheriff’s office.
The 59-year-old owner of the home, Ronald Brady had reported a burglary earlier in the day and stayed at the house in case burglars returned.
Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield said in mid-July he concluded Brady’s actions were a reasonable use of force and would not arrest Brady, but would let the prosecutor decide.
Golden in July said he received the case materials and hoped to make a preliminary decision within a few days. But, Golden said at the time, a final determination might not be made until after he received the results of an examination of Brady’s computer.
•••
Read Lewis County Sirens July 14, 2010 news story about the Onalaska shooting case here.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter