Judges Cleared For Loukaitis Trial

Tue., Feb. 27, 1996

From Staff And Wire Reports

A visiting judge ruled Monday that Grant County’s two Superior Court judges are sufficiently impartial to preside in the case of a teen accused of killing two classmates and a teacher at his Moses Lake school.

Judge Jack Burchard, of Okanogan County, denied defense lawyer Garth Dano’s motion to remove local judges on grounds they would be prejudiced against Barry Loukaitis.

Dano argued that both judges Evan Sperline and Ken Jorgensen live in the Moses Lake area and know either Loukaitis’ parents or likely witnesses.

A March 4 hearing before Sperline was scheduled on a second defense motion to seal the proceedings. Prosecutor John Knodell said after Monday’s hearing that he would fight that motion.

Knodell said he expects a hearing on whether Loukaitis, who turned 15 Monday, will be tried as an adult to come in late March or early April.

The Moses Lake boy is charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and one count of first-degree assault in the Feb. 2 shooting deaths of algebra teacher Leona Caires and students Manuel Vela and Arnold Fritz at Frontier Junior High School. A third student, Natalie Hintz, was wounded.

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