Loukaitis Refuses Trial Delay, Again Criticizes His Lawyer

Sat., Nov. 23, 1996

Associated Press

Barry Loukaitis, the teen charged with fatally shooting a teacher and two classmates, has refused to postpone Tuesday’s opening of his murder trial.

Public defender Guillermo Romero on Thursday asked Superior Court Judge Michael Cooper for more time and for a second lawyer to help him prepare the 15-year-old’s defense.

Cooper said he would grant the requests if Loukaitis waived his rights to a speedy trial.

But Loukaitis refused to sign the waiver unless he knew specifically who the second lawyer would be. He also disparaged the public defender.

“Since March you’ve all known this was a two-attorney case,” Loukaitis told Cooper. “He’s (Romero) all alone, he’s working by himself and he’s not prepared.”

Loukaitis is charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, second-degree assault and 16 counts of kidnapping. He has pleaded innocent by reason of insanity.

Cooper said a second lawyer would likely come from Yakima or Seattle and have experience in such high-profile cases, but Loukaitis and his father were not satisfied.

Grant County Prosecutor John Knodell opposed the delay. “He has already made several motions to have the charges removed because he was not tried within 60 days,” Knodell said. “It is evident he wants to insist upon his right to be tried in a speedy manner, and we need to respect that.”

Cooper said he would consider appointing another lawyer after the trial began.

Loukaitis and his father, Terry, contended Romero had not done a good job of defending the youth.

But Cooper warned them he would not tolerate verbal abuse of Romero.

“This is not a one-man job, and Mr. Romero should get credit for the job he has done,” Cooper said. “He has taken a lot of abuse, and no one in his position deserves that.”

Romero was appointed to defend Loukaitis in November. He represented Loukaitis during hearings in which it was determined the youth would be tried as an adult.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday and the trial is expected to last as long as 12 weeks.

Loukaitis is charged with entering his math class at Frontier Junior High School in Moses Lake on Feb. 2 and killing teacher Leona Caires and students Manuel Vela and Arnie Fritz with a rifle. He is charged with wounding student Natalie Hintz, and holding 15 students and teacher Jon Lane hostage.

Meanwhile, the parents of Arnold Fritz have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Loukaitis, his parents and the Moses Lake School District.

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