Joshua L. Vance glances back after his prison sentence is decided in Lewis County Superior Court.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Twenty-five-year-old Joshua L. Vance was sentenced this morning to 30 years in prison for taking a knife to his sleeping father in March in their Onalaska home.
While lawyers and the judge didn’t disagree Vance has mental health issues, all agreed he should be locked up for a long time.
“It’s true he does suffer from some psychosis disorder,” Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher told the judge. “While that played a part in this thing, Mr. Vance knew definitely what he was doing, and why he was doing it.”
Vance, a Centralia College student who lived with his father, grandmother, uncle and nephew on Pennel Avenue, pleaded guilty earlier this month to first-degree murder.
He called 911 early on the morning of March 7 and said he’d killed his dad. Terry Vance, 58, was stabbed at least 11 times; his throat was cut, according to court documents.
Terry Vance was a baseball coach and official, whose death was mourned by many.
“Your honor, our family truly loves Josh and prays for his soul, but don’t believe he’ll ever be able to be a productive member of society,” his Uncle Larry Vance told the judge today.
He called his nephew an angry person, one that kept the family walking on pins, needles and nails.
“I feel when Josh murdered my brother, Josh died as well as far as I’m concerned,” Larry Vance said.
Lewis County Superior Court Judge Nelson Hunt agreed with the prosecutor’s recommendation of 30 years, plus three years on community custody after his release. Defense attorney David Arcuri had asked for 25 years.
“An untreated mental health condition such as exists here is a threat to society,” Hunt said.
The handcuffed and shackled Joshua Vance kept his gaze toward the judge throughout the hearing. He chose not to address the court when offered the opportunity.
Joshua Vance has been diagnosed with psychotic disorder, major depression, amphetamine dependence and alcohol abuse, according to a report from Western State Hospital.
His family said he’d gone off his medication because he couldn’t afford them. His lawyer told the judge today it was an insurance issue that caused him to lose his medications.
He initially pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, and had the case ended with that plea in place, he would have faced time in a state mental hospital; potentially as long as the rest of his life.
A psychiatric evaluation by a doctor hired by prosecutors, however, didn’t indicate Vance qualified for an insanity plea. Arcuri said his client just wanted to get the case resolved, so they accepted a plea agreement.
Meagher today said the younger Vance had long term, deep seated anger toward his father, citing passages from an interview with a detective in which he said his father was never there for him, never gave him advice and treated him badly.
Prosecutors said previously Joshua Vance had told deputies and hospital personnel he also intended to kill the rest of his family, but couldn’t after he cut his own fingers.
As part of the plea agreement, Meagher dropped three charges of attempted first-degree murder regarding Larry Vance, Bonnie Vance and his 11-year-old nephew. They were rolled into one count of third-degree assault, an offense Joshua Vance didn’t commit but to which he pleaded guilty, pursuant to a doctrine called “In re Barr”.
His sentence for third degree assault will be served concurrent with the murder sentence.
His grandmother Bonnie Vance was among his family members in the Chehalis courtroom today. She chose not to speak to the judge directly, but a letter she wrote was read aloud.
Her writing addressed the worst day of her life, when she awoke to hearing her son yelling “No” to her grandson, and then found her grandson standing over him with a knife.
“My sons lost their brother,” she wrote.
“I ask each day what I could have done to stop this; I know I could not.”
“God knows I love my grandson Josh too,” she wrote. “I wish I could have done more to help him know how special he was to all of us.”
The judge ordered mental health help for Joshua Vance while he is incarcerated, according to Meagher.
The earliest he will be eligible for release is after 27 years, according to the state Department of Corrections.
The family of Joshua and Terry Vance await a judge’s decision in the first-degree murder case.
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For background, read:
• “Joshua Vance admits to killing his father” from Thursday October 4, 2012 at 7:52 p.m., here
• “Breaking news: Plea agreement made in Onalaska murder case” from Monday October 1, 2012 at 7:23 p.m., here
• “Insanity” of Onalaska murder defendant to be decided by a judge” from Tuesday August 21, 2012, here
• “Onalaskan’s insanity plea in alleged murder of father bolstered by mental exam” from Wednesday July 11, 2012, here
• “Onalaska family that lost one to knife attack, loses home to fire three months later” from Friday June 8, 2012 at 9:22 a.m., here
• “Onalaska man pleads insanity in father’s fatal stabbing” from Tuesday May 8, 2012, here
• “Two murder cases stalled by requests for psychiatric evaluations” from Thursday March 22, 2012 at 9:34 p.m., here
• “Murder suspect: “When he was good, he was such a good young man”” from Friday March 9, 2012, here
• “Coroner’s office names Terry Vance as victim in Onalaska home” from Wednesday March 7, 2012 at 7:53 p.m., here
• “Breaking news: Homicide investigation in Onalaska” from Wednesday March 7, 2012 at 8:57 a.m., here
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