Trial To Be Delayed

The trial of a man accused of raping and killing 7-yearold Roxanne Doll could be delayed for as long as a year while the state Supreme Court considers a related death-penalty ruling.

Richard Clark, 26, is charged with aggravated first-degree murder, rape and kidnapping. Trial had been scheduled to start later this month.

Clark is accused of taking Roxanne from her bedroom, raping her, stabbing her and dumping her body on a hillside in north Everett last April.

The Snohomish County prosecutor’s office planned to seek the death penalty, but Judge Richard Thorpe in November ruled that Clark had not been properly notified.

The prosecutor’s office appealed Thorpe’s decision to the Supreme Court, which agreed last week to review the matter.

Deputy Prosecutor Seth Fine said it will likely take the high court nine to 12 months.