Austin King
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The 21-year-old charged in last summer’s homicide of Morton teenager Austin King admitted he did it and indicated he was sorry in Lewis County Superior Court yesterday afternoon.
Jack A. Silverthorne listened as his lawyer J.P. Enbody read his statement aloud in a courtroom packed with friends and family of the dead 16-year-old.
” … I want to apologize to the family for what happened, it never should have happened,” Enbody read. “I want everybody to know, I never meant to cause his death.”
Jack A. Silverthorne
Silverthorne admitted he hit Austin in the head with his fist, causing his death.
Austin’s body was found last July following a month-long search, down an embankment, some 40 feet off a logging road outside Morton. His skull was cracked above his right ear.
An indentation of a knuckle was found in the skull, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher told the court yesterday.
At first, investigators thought it was caused by a rock or something similar, Meagher said. The discovery it was a fist is what led prosecutors to enter into a plea agreement, according to Meager.
“That changed things for us,” Meager said.
There was evidence of a fight, with “probably intent to injure or hurt him, but we can’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt there was intent to kill,” he said.
Silverthorne was previously charged with first-degree murder, the elements of which include premeditation and intent to kill.
He pleaded guilty yesterday to first-degree manslaughter, recklessly causing the death of another person.
He was then sentenced to eight and a half years in prison, the high end of the standard sentencing range for the crime.
Since there will be no trial, the details of exactly what happened or why may never be known.
Authorities believe Silverthorne took Austin up into the woods, and his motive was related to an attraction to a girl, the mother of Austin’s child, according to charging documents.
Austin was home schooled and was described by his mother Christy Harper as a boy who liked to spend time playing video games, listening to music and watching movies.
The family lived in the Tilton River Mobile Home Park. Silverthorne was staying in the same trailer park with his grandmother at the time.
Harper last saw her son about 12:15 a.m. on June 23 when he said goodnight and went off to his detached bedroom outside of their home with two buddies to watch television.
The teenager’s body was found July 20 by volunteer searchers some 10 miles away from his home.
Silverthorne, who lives in Renton, was arrested in November. His broken hand was part of what tied him to the death.
Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler yesterday gave a lengthy explanation about the various kinds of charges connected with homicides, the different mandatory lengths of sentences for each and his decision to accept the plea bargain.
“I don’t have the discretion to impose life in prison,” Lawler said. “Even if some of you want that and feel he deserves that.”
Austin’s parents both chose not to address the judge at the sentencing.
His father, Shawn King of Chehalis, was among the many who lingered after the hearing.
“It could have been prevented, if the court system would have listened to me,” King said.
King said he was speaking of custody decisions made in family court, but didn’t have time to elaborate because he had to get to work.
Leslie Mathews, a friend of Austin’s mother, found the length of the sentence difficult to understand, as she spoke of the nightmares that keep her awake.
Mathews said she’s known Austin since he was three or four years old. She was part of the small search group who found his body.
“To know he only got 12 years, or eight years, or whatever, it hurts so bad,” she said. “I hurt for the family. I hurt for myself every day.”
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Read more about the case in “Morton homicide: Suspect had broken hand, victim had cracked skull” from Wednesday Nov. 10, 2010, here
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