A 17-year-old Spokane boy has been charged with attempted murder for a drive-by shooting last week at a north Spokane home.

Travis W. Wood is accused of shooting out the front window of a home in the 500 block of East Maxine Avenue about 4 a.m. on March 26.

Another shooting was reported at the home March 2 - the same day the homeowners' granddaughter reported Wood to police as the suspect in the theft of her cellphone, according to court documents.

No one was injured in the shootings.

Wood was arrested on a juvenile warrant at his apartment at 202 E. Wedgewood Ave. hours after the March 26 incident. Police found a .380 caliber pistol in the apartment, as well as a box of ammunition with 11 rounds missing.

Police also obtained a search warrant for Woods' mother's 1991 Chevy Blazer that revealed a .380 shell casing. Wood was charged Friday with first-degree attempted murder and drive-by shooting.

Also charged in the case is Thomas J. Jones, 21. He is not yet in custody.

Woods' mother, Tonya Wood, said at his court appearance today that she's tried to get him help.

“I've tried since he was 16… to prevent this from getting as far, and here we are,” Tonya Wood said.

A teenager accused of attempted murder for a knife assault at a party has pleaded not guilty.

Kiana M. Murphy, who turned 18 two days before the Oct. 30 incident, allegedly stabbed a teen boy twice in the stomach during an argument about gang affiliations, according to court documents.

Murphy allegedly chased the boy through the home at 1807 W. Spofford Ave. before he escaped through a bedroom window. When the boy returned, Murphy stabbed him twice in the stomach, police and prosecutors allege.

The victim required surgery but is recovering. He identified Murphy as a suspect through her Facebook page. A witness told police Murphy said the victim was “going to…die” when he returned to the residence, documents say.

Murphy was arraigned Wednesday on a charge of attempted first-degree murder, with first-degree assault as an alternate charge.

She is out of custody awaiting trial, which is scheduled to begin on Feb. 21.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for a teenager accused of attempted murder for a knife assault at a party.

Kiana M. Murphy, who turned 18 two days before the Oct. 30 incident, allegedly stabbed a teen boy twice in the stomach during an argument about gang affiliations, according to court documents.

Murphy chased the boy through the home at 1807 W. Spofford Ave. before he escaped through a bedroom window. When the boy returned, Murphy stabbed him twice in the stomach, police and prosecutors allege.

The victim required surgery but is recovering and identified Murphy as a suspect through her Facebook page. A witness told police Murphy said the victim was “going to…die” when he turned to the residence, documents say.

Murphy is charged with attempted first-degree murder, with first-degree assault as an alternate charge.

She was convicted last month of violating her juvenile probation after being convicted as an juvenile in connection with a wild fight involving a suspect's ex-boyfriend at 1735 W. Boone Ave. in March.

Murphy last gave an address in the 200 block of East Wedgewood Avenue. Anyone with information on her current location is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit tips online.

Tipsters don't have to give their name to collect a reward but should provide a code name or number.

A Spokane woman was wounded Monday in a shooting by her ex-boyfriend, who then fatally shot himself, police said.

The man’s body was found slumped in a yard outside a home converted into apartments in the 3100 block of East Fifth Avenue, according to the Spokane Police Department. A gun was found nearby, neighbors said. Both the victim and gunman are in their mid 20s, police said. The two recently ended a relationship.

Read the rest of my story here.

A couple arrested for attempted murder in Airway Heights last week will instead be charged with assault.

Elijah J. Boxley, 33, appeared in Spokane County Superior Court Wednesday on a first-degree assault charge while his girlfriend,  Molly E. Foote, 38, alias McBride, appeared on a second-degree assault charge.

The two were arrested Thursday after attacking Michael J. Martin, 46, in what they said was revenge because Martin raped Foote.

Detectives are investigating the rape allegation. Airway Heights police say Boxley and Foote attacked Martin with a knife in a car at a gas station at 220 S. Hayford Road in Airway Heights last week. Boxley allegedly struck Martin with his car.

Boxley told police he was “on fire and ready to go” after Foote said she'd been raped by Martin.

“It pretty much put me in a temporary insanity state when your best friend rapes your girlfriend,” Boxley said, according to court documents.

Police found a machete, hatchet and several knives in Boxley's car and arrested the couple for attempted murder, but prosecutors filed the lesser charges on Monday.

Boxley and Foote remain in jail.

A suspect in a stabbing that left a man with a cut on his throat from ear to ear is back in jail after detectives say he tried to intimidate witnesses in the case.

 Izaac Jermel Innes, who is on probation for second-degree murder, called several people after his arrested and asked them to try to persuade witnesses to change their stories, according to an affidavit filed Tuesday.

Innes, who was free on $50,000 bond, was arrested Tuesday night and appeared in Superior Court on Wednesday, where Judge Michael Price set his new bail at $100,000 for intimidating a witness and two counts of tampering with a witness.

Innes, a self-proclaimed member of the Deuce Avenue Crips, also pleaded not guilty Wednesday to attempted first-degree murder for the alleged incident outside a party in the 12700 block of East 31st Ave. April 2.

Innes, 30, was released from prison in January after serving time for a second-degree murder conviction from 2003.

Past coverage:

April 8: Convicted killer charged w/ attempted murder

A suspect in a stabbing that left a man with a cut on his throat from ear to ear has been charged with attempted first-degree murder.

 Izaac Jermel Innes, 30, who was recently released from prison for murder, is accused of stabbing a man outside a party in the 12700 block of East 31st Ave. last weekend.

Innes has been on probation since January after leaving prison work release. He  pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2003 , but his current public defender, Kari Reardon, said Thursday that he had no role in the slaying and was simply waiting outside the scene of the murder for two friends to buy marijuana.

“I frankly don't know why he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder,” Reardon said. “He certainly wasn't alleged to be involved in any sort of violence.”

Innes, who has been working at McDonald's, posted $50,000 bond after his arrest for first-degree assault but was rearrested on a probation violation and the attempted murder charge. He appeared in Superior Court on Thursday.

Innes told police he fought with a man at the party but was not involved in stabbing and did not have a weapon. “The only guy I put hands on is in the hospital,” Innes reportedly told detectives before pausing and adding, “I don't know why he had to go to the hospital for me just punching him,” according to a probable cause affidavit by the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.

Superior Court Judge Kathleen O'Connor approved a $50,000 bond for Innes over the weekend, which he posted before being rearrested Monday for a probation violation. He told his probation officer he was a member of the Deuce Avenue Crips gang, according to the affidavit. D

eputy Prosecutor Steve Garvin requested Thursday that Innes stay in jail without bail, calling the suspect “a clear, immediate and present danger to public safety.”

But Judge Michael Price said the facts of the case have not changed since O'Connor approve $50,000 bond, so he set the new bond at just $50,100.

A Spokane man whose attempted murder trial ended in a mistrial last week was sentenced this week to nearly 10 years in prison.

Don R. Davis, Jr., 29, pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance and drive by shooting in a plea deal that dropped the attempted first-degree murder charge.

He was ordered to serve 116 months in prison by Superior Court Judge Jerome Leveque on Wednesday. Leveque declared a mistrial last week after a witness offered testimony that Davis' lawyer, Rob Cossey, said was a surprise.

The charges stem from a wild car chase on Oct. 4, 2009, that includes several collisions as Davis attempted to force his ex-girlfriend and former best friend off the roadway.

He also was accused of breaking into an apartment and stealing a handgun that was used in a drive-by shooting.

A judge has declared a mistrial in the case against a Spokane Valley man who was facing up to 50 years in prison following an attack on his ex-girlfriend and his former best friend.

Superior Court Judge Jerome Leveque declared the mistrial Wednesday after a witness offered testimony that the defense said was a surprise.

The witness said defendant Don R. Davis, 29, admitted possessing a gun that investigators said was used in a drive-by shooting as part of the case.

Defense attorney Rob Cossey objected because that information had not been presented to him by the witness or by Deputy Prosecutor Gayle Ervin in preparation for the trial.

“It was completely out of the blue. It was out of the witness’s mouth before I could do anything,” Cossey said. “I asked for a mistrial and the judge granted it.”

Davis is expected to plead guilty to some of the charges on April 6.

“We think we can reach a resolution,” Cossey said, “but it doesn’t include the attempted murder charges.”

Ervin had charged Davis with 10 criminal charges, including two counts of attempted first-degree murder, following a series of events that began on Oct. 4, 2009, with wild vehicle chase on Interstate 90 that included several collisions as Davis attempted to force his former best friend, Clayton Cooper, off the roadway, according to court testimony.

Davis was also charged with breaking into an apartment and stealing a shotgun that witnesses said was used in a drive-by shooting. Just minutes after that event, deputies conducted a search warrant and found the stolen gun in the trunk of the car Davis was driving, according to court testimony.

If convicted of all charges, Davis faced as much as 411 months in prison plus about 200 months for the weapons charges.

The criminal trial began Tuesday in a case the prosecution presented as an angry, drug-induced ex-lover threatening both his former girlfriend and his former best friend.

Don R. Davis, 29, faces a total of 10 charges, including first-degree burglary, drive-by shooting and violation of a no-contact order, in a trial being argued in front of Superior Court Judge Jerome Leveque.

Deputy Spokane County Prosecutor Gayle Ervin told the jury that Davis disapproved of the new relationship between his former girlfriend, Nicole Allen, and his former best friend, Clayton Cooper.

The dispute culminated on Oct. 4, 2009, when Davis confronted the couple as they tried to leave Cooper’s home.

Read Tom Clouse's full story here.

A Spokane man accused of trying to kill another man during a dispute over a cat’s mess said the shooting was in self defense.

Alan D. Kintner, 55, told sheriff’s deputies he shot Steven W. MCormick in self defense, according to court documents.

Kintner remains jailed on $100,000 bond after appearing before Judge Michael Price Tuesday on a second-degree attempted murder charge.

Kintner was arrested Saturday after witnesses said he shot Steven W. McCormick at least twice during a fight over McCormick’s cat at 9519 W. Seven Mile Road.

Kevin Maynor, who lives nearby on the property and witnessed the shooting, told police he heard Kintner “say he could probably kill Steven and get away with it.”

McCormick was shot in the stomach with a  .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle and remained at Holy Family Hospital Tuesday, where his condition was not available.

Kintner told deputies he was an expert marksman in the Marine and that “he only shot Steven because he had attacked him,” according to court documents. Kintner said “that Steven got too close to o he shot him in the stomach to sop him, and if he wanted to kill Steven he would have shot him in the head.”

A north Spokane man is facing an attempted murder charge after an argument over feline cleanliness led to gunfire that sent a roommate to the hospital, authorities said.

Alan D. Kintner, 55, is due in Spokane County Superior Court this afternoon via video from the jail, where he was booked late Saturday after deputies took him into custody at his home in the 9500 block of Seven Mile Road.

The victim, described by sheriff's officials only as a 44-year-old man, reportedly was in stable condition after being rushed to a Spokane hospital by another roommate. Deputies were dispatched to the scene about 9:15 p.m.

According to the Sheriff's Office, the roommates were watching television when a dispute arose over Kintner's cats “making messes in the bathroom.” Kintner and one of his roommates began wrestling and kicking at each other.

Kintner left the house after getting pinned on his back but returned with a .22-caliber rifle and opened fire, the Sheriff's Office said.

The victim, despite having a bullet wound to his stomach, charged the gunman and knocked the rifle away.

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Gov. Chris Gregoire has blocked the release of an Iowa man convicted of nearly killing a Richland police officer 28 years ago, her office announced Friday.

The governor signed the order Thursday night canceling the parole release of Jerry Dean Lain (pictured in 1982 and in 2010). He had been scheduled for release Monday by order of Washington’s Indeterminate Sentence Review Board.

 ”It is rare for a governor to exercise this power,” Gregoire said in a statement. “But I reviewed the case and concluded there is an unacceptable level of risk to public safety here that called for me to act.”

The governor has the authority to overrule the board, but it’s not known when it was last used.

“We don’t think it’s been used in at least 30 years, if ever,” said Gregoire spokeswoman Karina Shagren. 

Former Richland officer Mike Fitzpatrick had asked Gregoire to intervene. Fitzpatrick was stabbed seven times and shot in the face and abdomen in 1982 after he approached Lain, he was seen prowling cars.

Lain was convicted of assault and has been in prison ever since.

If he had been released, he was to go to Iowa, where he was wanted on violating parole for a stabbing in a bar fight. 

Rowlanda Cawthon, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections, said that Lain would have been released to a “work release center/halfway house” in Sioux City. 

In her order, Gregoire noted that Lain has had more than 20 infractions while in prison, including threatening staff.

While he hadn’t been cited for any problems since 2004, Gregoire wrote that she was concerned by a 2009 risk evaluation that found Lain was placed in a group “at a high risk of recidivism for both general and violent crimes in the range of medium to high risk.”

“I am particularly concerned that the potential for violence would be escalated in any future contact with law enforcement officers that could lead to revocation of his parole release,” she said.

Gregoire wrote that while Lain, 53, has made “creditable gains” during his time in prison, including educational courses, anger management classes and vocational experience, “I conclude that his rehabilitation is not complete and he is not a fit subject for release from prison.”

A Deer Park man was acquitted Thursday of allegations that he’d kidnapped his wife and her new lover and tried to throw them off a bridge.

 A jury of seven men and five women found David E. Epley (pictured) not guilty of two counts of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree kidnapping for the May 12, 2009, incident.

“I think it was grossly overcharged,” said Epley’s lawyer, Gloria Ochoa. “At most what (prosecutors) had was maybe an assault, but it was not first-degree premeditated attempted murder.”

Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Kyle Treece declined comment. The jury deliberated for about a day.

Read my full story here.

Past coverage:

Dec. 2: Trial begins in love triangle case

Oct. 5, 2009: Police: Accused killer wrote rape suspect’s alleged victim

June 1, 2009: New charges in bridge-pushing case

May 13, 2009: Man charged with kidnapping, attempted murder

Breaking up may be hard to do, but a Deer Park man is facing substantial time in prison for the way investigators say he ended the relationship with his wife: by trying to throw her new lover off the Wandermere Bridge. 

Trial started Wednesday for David E. Epley, 37, who faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in connection with a confrontation on May 12, 2009.

Attorneys presented opening statements that offered very different views of what happened on the darkened bridge that night.

Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Kyle Treece described a man who hid in his wife’s car for hours as she shared a drink with her guitar instructor at Cinola’s Restaurant, at 147179 N. Newport Highway.

Read the rest of Tom Clouse’s story here.

Past coverage:

Oct. 5, 2009: Police: Accused killer wrote rape suspect’s alleged victim

June 1, 2009: New charges in bridge-pushing case ‘

May 13, 2009: Man charged with kidnapping, attempted murder

A domestic dispute between two cemetery owners erupted in gunfire Sunday in Moses Lake, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office announced today. 

Mark L. Benson, 55, is charged with attempted first-degree murder after his wife, Susan L. Benson, said he fired several rounds, striking her left shoulder, as she fled in her car.

Susan Benson, also 55, remains hospitalized today with a non-life threatening gunshot wound, according to the Sheriff’s Office. She called 911 about 6:30 p.m. Sunday and said she was fleeing her husband after being shot and was going to drive herself to Samaritan Hospital, the Sheriff’s Office said.

She’d been working at the Moses Lake Cemetery, which the couple owns, when Mark Benson arrived and wanted to talk about their pending divorce and whether their marriage could be saved, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Susan Benson said she left the cemetery, located about eight miles east of Moses Lake on Road 2, without saying anything but was followed by Mark Benson, who fired several shots.

Mark Benson called 911 and advised of his location. He was arrested without incident and remains in the Grant County Jail.

A Spokane man faces life in prison under the state’s 3 strikes law after a jury convicted him in connection with a July 2009 shooting that injured two women.

 Jurors were split on attempted murder and first-degree assault charges against Timothy “Stoney Boy” Lucious by Spokane County prosecutors, citing questions over whether another man may have fired shots at the women.

But the jury foreman said all 12 believed Lucious had banged on the car window and threatened the women with a gun, justifying a second-degree assault conviction.

Superior Court Judge Annette Plese ordered Lucious, 39, held without bail until sentencing on Oct. 14.

Described as a gang member by Spokane police, Lucious already has convictions for two violent crimes.

Under state law, Thursday’s conviction earns him a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Public defender Steven Reich said prosecutors “grossly overcharged” Lucious and said while he’s pleased jurors wouldn’t convict on the murder charges, the outcome is the same for Lucious under the 3-strikes law.

“I have a real problem with the three-strikes law,” Reich said. “It takes discretion away from judges.”

Read the rest of my story here.

Past coverage:

Sept. 16: Lawyer: Shooting suspect may be wrongly accused

Sept. 14: Prosecution could rest today in 3-strikes trial

June 8: 3-strikes suspect backs out of pro-se plan

March 15: ‘Hardball’ means more charges for Lucious

Jan. 19: Attempted murder charges dropped against Gardner

July 24, 2009: Crosstown melee erupts in gunfire

A Spokane man facing life in prison for a July 2009 shooting may be wrongly accused, his lawyer told jurors during closing arguments Wednesday .

Police halted their investigation into the shooter’s identity after the alleged victims identified Timothy “Stoney Boy” Lucious (right) as the gunman, said public defender Steven Reich.

Nearly a year after the shooting, authorities learned that another man - possibly armed with a .45 handgun - was with the women. But the group had lied about Antonio E. Cook’s presence because his probation prohibited from being out after 10 p.m. and “they would have continued to lie had it not been discovered,” Reich said.

“They haven’t earned your trust,” Reich told jurors.

Reich suggested that Cook fired, likely on accident, the shots that injured Donna M. Dansby and Zsaja J. Branch.

Deputy Prosecutor Mark Cipolla said Reich may wish a .45 was present during the shooting, but the evidence just doesn’t support that claim.

Jurors are to continue deliberations this morning. Lucious is charged with six counts of attempted murder; first-degree assault is included as an alternative charge.

His defense focuses on what Reich said is a shaky case built on testimony from women who may be protecting the real shooter.

Though most witnesses said Cook (left) did not have a gun, one said he did, and Reich said it was likely the others were lying to protect Cook. He pointed to what Branch told doctors at the hospital - that she’d been shot with a .45.

“How would she know?” Reich said.

Police have said Lucious used a 9 mm handgun in the shooting.

Cipolla said in his rebuttal that if Branch had rally been shot in the chest with a .45 “she would have been split in half.”

Superior Court Judge Annette Plese sustained Reich’s objection because no experts ever testified about the impact of a .45.

Reich told jurors that Cook has been convicted of crimes that contest his character, including witness tampering and theft. He reminded jurors that Cook was forced to testify, despite Lucious allegedly trying to kill Branch, who is the mother of Cook’s daughter. He also pointed out that Cook fled the shooting scene despite Branch being rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Cipolla said the facts of the case speak for themselves.

“This man right here used a gun on a car full of women for no apparent reason,” Cipolla said.

The jury deliberated for about an hour Wednesday afternoon and will be back at the courthouse at 9 a.m. today.

If convicted of attempted murder or the lesser charge, first-degree assault, Lucious will be sentenced to life in prison without parole because he already has two violent crime convictions.

Jurors are not allowed to know his possible punishment, but Reich emphasized that “any decision you make will have a a longstanding impact on Mr. Lucious.”

A codefendant, Michael R. Gardner, pleaded guilty to third-degree assault in January and was credited for time served.

Past coverage:

Sept. 14: Shooting proceeded fight w/ heeled shoes, butcher knife