Not guilty plea to murder, arson

ST. MARIES – The St. Maries man accused of killing an elderly woman and burning her house to cover up the crime pleaded not guilty to murder and arson charges Friday.

Lawrence “Larry” Banderob, 37, is accused of binding and beating 76-year-old Miriam “Micky” Waltch the evening of Feb. 4, coming back to kill her, then returning the next day to torch her home near St. Maries.

“My client has told me he didn’t do this, and I have the weighty responsibility to protect his constitutional rights,” said Tim Gresbeck, Banderob’s court-appointed attorney.

Authorities have said that Waltch, who lived alone, might also have been raped, but Benewah County Prosecutor Douglas Payne said he’s still waiting for forensic results.

A trial has been scheduled for March 5. Banderob could face the death penalty if convicted.

Banderob’s mother, Wilma Banderob, and his aunt Kathleen Adams and her husband, all of St. Maries, watched the arraignment. Adams said afterward that she was there to support her sister Wilma.

“Things like this don’t happen in our community, and things like this don’t happen to your family,” she said. “It’s been real hard.”

Banderob’s wife at the time of the death has been charged as an accomplice to the murder and the arson because she reportedly drove Banderob back to Waltch’s home so he could burn the house and helped him hide evidence.

She divorced Banderob last month and has since been going by her maiden name, Becky Jean Bailey. Her hearing was scheduled for Monday but was postponed to a date to be determined.

Had Bailey not divorced Banderob, she would not have been permitted to testify against him because of a state law that prohibits spouses from testifying against one another.

She can now testify to anything she witnessed Banderob do but still cannot testify about anything he may have told her during their marriage. Bailey has said that her ex-husband was abusive and forced her to help him cover up the crime.

Bailey’s mother, St. Maries resident Jeri Gee, attended Banderob’s arraignment.

When asked if she believed Banderob was innocent, she said no.

Banderob’s 15-year-old daughter testified last month that she was with her father when the Chevrolet Corsica he was driving became stuck in a ditch near Waltch’s home. She said she waited outside while her father entered the house and said that when he came out, his hands were covered in blood. She said he told her to go inside the house, which she did, and she could hear Waltch’s cries for help.

The murder shook the small town of about 2,900 people, Adams, Banderob’s aunt, said.

“There’s a lot of people that are outraged,” said Adams, who works at a bar in St. Maries. “I hear it all.”