{"id":8857,"date":"2011-10-07T21:27:54","date_gmt":"2011-10-08T04:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lewiscountysirens.com\/?p=8857"},"modified":"2011-10-08T12:32:11","modified_gmt":"2011-10-08T19:32:11","slug":"coroners-inquest-into-ronda-reynolds-death-selection-of-jurors-starts-monday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/?p=8857","title":{"rendered":"Coroners inquest into Ronda Reynolds death: Selection of jurors starts Monday"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated 12:25 p.m. Saturday October 8, 2011<\/em><\/p>\n

By Sharyn\u00a0 L. Decker
\nLewis County Sirens news reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n

CHEHALIS – Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod released a tentative schedule today of which witnesses will testify when during the inquest into the controversial 1998 death of former trooper Ronda Reynolds which begins on Monday.<\/p>\n

\"pc.ronda<\/a>

Ronda Reynolds<\/p><\/div>\n

New to the witness list originally released a little more than a month ago are a friend and co-workers of Ronda Reynolds, the mother of Ron Reynolds, a neighbor, a retired forensic expert C. Vaughn and a set of Lewis County detectives who investigated new leads as recently as last year.<\/p>\n

The courtroom is expected to have seating available for 20 members of the public, on a first come, first served basis each day.<\/p>\n

It’s been some 50 years since a coroner’s inquest has been held in Lewis County, as best McLeod has been able to figure.<\/p>\n

Reynolds, 33, was found dead early on the morning of of Dec. 16, 1998 and the case was closed as a suicide by the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office in May of 1999.<\/p>\n

She was discovered with a bullet in her head on a closet floor in the Toledo home she shared with her new husband, Toledo Elementary School Principal Ron Reynolds. The couple were separating and she had plans to fly home to her family in Spokane later that morning.<\/p>\n

Over the years, the manner of death was changed by the coroner back and forth between suicide and undetermined as it was reinvestigated and then more recently underwent a judicial review.<\/p>\n

The inquiry comes as newly elected McLeod has attempted to comply with court orders given to his predecessor, ex-Coroner Terry Wilson.<\/p>\n

Not on the witness list are Ron Reynolds and his three sons who were at the house when the first deputy arrived, but have asserted the privilege against self incrimination and are excused by McLeod from appearing.<\/p>\n

McLeod today indicated he has set aside the first half of Monday for selection of an inquest jury of five, plus two alternates.<\/p>\n

The first of more than 40 witnesses may take the stand after lunch, depending upon how long it takes to seat the panel of jurors, according to McLeod.<\/p>\n

The first batch of witnesses are individuals who were on the scene that morning almost 13 years ago, and the later witnesses are primarily experts and individuals who looked at evidence and reports.<\/p>\n

McLeod’s tentative schedule has the last witness testifying a week from Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The proceedings will be held in Lewis County District Court in Chehalis and begin at 9 a.m. each week day.<\/p>\n

Following is the tentative schedule:<\/p>\n

Monday Oct. 10<\/strong>
\nMorning<\/strong> 9 a.m. until noon<\/p>\n

\u2022 Selection of inquest jury<\/p>\n

Monday Oct. 10<\/strong>
\nAfternoon<\/strong>, 1:30 p.m. until 4:45 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Janice Neilsen – emergency medical technician
\n\u2022 Gary Holt – retired Lewis County sheriff’s deputy
\n\u2022 Robert Bishop – former Lewis County sheriff’s deputy
\n\u2022 Steve Aust – Lewis County Sheriff’s Office commander
\n\u2022 Glade Austin – retired Lewis County sheriff\u2019s detective’s sergeant<\/p>\n

Tuesday Oct. 11<\/strong>
\nMorning<\/strong>, 9 a.m. until noon<\/p>\n

\u2022 Glade Austin, continued
\n\u2022 Dave Neiser – retired Lewis County sheriff’s detective<\/p>\n

Tuesday Oct. 11<\/strong>
\nAfternoon<\/strong>, 1:30 p.m. until 4:45 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Jerry Berry – retired Lewis County sheriff’s detective
\n\u2022 Carmen Brunton – former Lewis County coroner’s chief deputy
\n\u2022 Dr. Daniel Selove – forensic pathologist who conducted autopsy
\n\u2022 Joe Doench – retired Lewis County sheriff’s chief criminal deputy
\n\u2022 Gordon Spanski – retired Lewis County undersheriff<\/p>\n

Wednesday Oct. 12<\/strong>
\nMorning<\/strong>, 9 a.m. until noon<\/p>\n

\u2022 Laurie Hull – friend
\n\u2022 David Bell – friend
\n\u2022 Tom Lahmman – former Toledo School District superintendent<\/p>\n

Wednesday Oct. 12<\/strong>
\nAfternoon<\/strong>, 1:30 p.m. until 4:45 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u2022 N. Weller – co-worker of deceased
\n\u2022 D. Pearson – co-worker of deceased
\n\u2022 B. Rodriguez, neighbor of deceased
\n\u2022 Juanita Vaughn -friend of deceased
\n\u2022 Cathryn Hatulla (sp) – Ron Reynolds’ ex-wife<\/p>\n

Thursday Oct. 13<\/strong>
\nMorning<\/strong>, 9 a.m. until noon<\/p>\n

\u2022 Mark Liburdi – decedent\u2019s ex-husband
\n\u2022 Vernon Geberth – homicide expert
\n\u2022 Barbara Thomspon – mother of decedent<\/p>\n

Thursday Oct. 13<\/strong>
\nAfternoon<\/strong>, 1:30 p.m. until 4:45 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u2022 George Fox – former Attorney General’s Office investigator
\n\u2022 Ronald Wojciechowski – Washington State Patrol crime lab
\n\u2022 Kenneth McDermott – Washington State Patrol crime lab
\n\u2022 David Stritzke – Washington State Patrol crime lab
\n\u2022 C. Vaughn – retired forensic expert
\n\u2022 Joe Upton – handwriting examiner
\n\u2022 Jill Bartlett – Washington State Patrol fingerprint division
\n\u2022 Gary Aschenbach – forensic statement analyst
\n\u2022 Laura Reynolds – mother of Ron Reynolds<\/p>\n

Friday Oct. 14<\/strong>
\nMorning<\/strong>, 9 a.m. until noon<\/p>\n

\u2022 Marty Hayes – firearms examination
\n\u2022 Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds- pathologist
\n\u2022 Terry Ball – polygraph expert
\n\u2022 Marty Hayes – again, if needed
\n\u2022 Dr. John Demakas – pathologist<\/p>\n

Friday Oct. 14<\/strong>
\nAfternoon<\/strong>, 1:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Steve Birley – polygraph expert
\n\u2022 Rod Englert – forensic expert
\n\u2022 Sherri Murphy – former Washington state trooper<\/p>\n

Monday Oct. 17<\/strong>
\nMorning<\/strong>, 9 a.m. until noon<\/p>\n

\u2022 Kevin Englebertson – Lewis County Sheriff’s Office detective
\n\u2022 Jamey McGinty – Lewis County Sheriff’s Office detective
\n\u2022 Bruce Kimsey – Lewis County Sheriff’s Office detective
\n\u2022 Dusty Breen – Lewis County Sheriff’s Office detective sergeant<\/p>\n

Tuesday Oct. 18<\/strong>
\nMorning<\/strong>, 9 a.m. until noon<\/p>\n

\u2022 Dusty Breen – continued
\n\u2022 Isabelle Williams – Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, evidence
\n\u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n

See the rules governing the procedures for McLeod’s coroner’s inquest, here<\/a><\/p>\n

For some background and to see the roles some of the above individuals may have played, read “Jury finds coroner erred in ruling former trooper\u2019s death a suicide”, here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Updated 12:25 p.m. Saturday October 8, 2011 By Sharyn\u00a0 L. Decker Lewis County Sirens news reporter CHEHALIS – Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod released a tentative schedule today of which witnesses will testify when during the inquest into the controversial 1998 death of former trooper Ronda Reynolds which begins on Monday. New to the witness […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[9,10],"class_list":["post-8857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-top-story","tag-by-sharyn-l-decker","tag-news-reporter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8857"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8870,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8857\/revisions\/8870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lewiscountysirens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}