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.
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.


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