Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Bayview Victim: ‘I’m Just An Invalid’

Michael Heath talked about the brutal attack on his family nine months ago that ended with the death of his wife Patty at his mother's home in Bayview. The man accused of the crime lived in the trailer just below. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)

A family is watching TV on a cold Sunday afternoon when a man bursts in, calls them an obscene name and attacks with a hammer, aiming for their heads. One woman is killed. Another suffers a severe head injury that steals pieces of her memory and speech. Two other family members are beaten but escape with minor injuries. It sounds like something straight out of a horror movie, but that’s what Yvonne Wallis, her son, daughter-in-law and grandson experienced last Dec. 19 in Bayview, Idaho. Their next-door neighbor, Larry Cragun, was arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder, and is in jail awaiting trial in January. His bail is set at $1 million. Ten months later, the survivors are struggling to move on/Alison Boggs, SR. More here. (Kathy Plonka SR photo)

Question: Has any member of your family been harmed in a violent attack?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

Follow Dave online: