Mother joins suit against her father in son’s boating death

The mother of a 13-year-old boy who died after a Lake Coeur d’Alene boating accident has joined her ex-husband in a wrongful-death lawsuit.

Nicole Alexander was encouraged to join the suit by her father, who was the driver of the boat, according to Alexander’s attorney, Charles Conrad.

The boy’s grandfather, Marvin Markham, wanted his daughter to get a share of any money that comes from the lawsuit. “He doesn’t want the father to be the only one who benefits,” Conrad said.

On July 15, Trenton Newlon was boating with his grandfather, his cousin Leisha Konrad, and four other children. The teen slipped under the boat after swimming up to it to change life jackets and died after the boat’s propeller cut the main artery in his arm.

The father, Danial Newlon, filed the wrongful-death lawsuit two weeks ago against his former father-in-law and Konrad, who was acting as a spotter.

Mary Schultz, Newlon’s lawyer, said the father wants something in return for the loss of love and companionship of his child.

In a previous news story, Alexander claimed her ex-husband’s motivation for the lawsuit was to earn money to run for a political office.

Schultz said this week the allegation is false and disrespectful toward the boy’s father.

Any money stemming from the suit would come from Markham’s $300,000 boat insurance policy, Conrad said.

Markham hopes the matter can be settled without going to trial, said his attorney, Tim Cronin.

A hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Oct. 31 in Spokane County Superior Court.