Loukaitis Hearing On Hold For Ruling

A weeklong hearing in the Barry Loukaitis case came to a sudden stop Friday, after a Spokesman-Review attorney challenged a Grant County judge’s decision to seal testimony by Loukaitis’ psychiatrist.

Dr. Julia Moore was scheduled to take the stand Friday as the defense’s first witness. Superior Court Judge Evan Sperline excluded the public from hearing her diagnosis of the 15-year-old, saying it should be kept confidential until the boy’s trial.

Attorney Duane Swinton, however, filed a motion in the state Court of Appeals in Spokane for a review of Sperline’s decision. An emergency hearing was held before the court Friday morning.

Swinton said Moore’s testimony is “critical” to the outcome of the hearing, which will determine whether Loukaitis will be tried as an adult for firing gunshots in a Moses Lake classroom earlier this year that left two students and a teacher dead and another student injured. The public has a right to hear all evidence that will weigh on Sperline’s decision, Swinton said.

Appeals Court Commissioner Frank Slak stopped all proceedings in the Loukaitis case until a full review by the higher court can be made. The delay could take up to a week.