Wallace Teen Faces Murder Trial As Adult

A magistrate ordered a 14-year old Wallace boy to stand trial on murder, attempted robbery and criminal conspiracy charges Tuesday in the death of a Post Falls man.

Jeremy Schmitz and his 18-year-old cousin, Daniel Eby, are accused of beating Melvin Evenson to death during a robbery attempt. Schmitz’s stepfather, 44-year-old Clifford Hicks, also is charged with accessory to murder.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Lansing Haynes argued during Tuesday’s pretrial hearing that Schmitz’s detailed confession of the murder to Kootenai County sheriff’s detectives was enough evidence to justify a trial.

Schmitz’ attorney claimed Haynes did not produce evidence that corroborated the detectives’ confession claims, but Magistrate Patrick McFadden disagreed.

McFadden also dismissed attorney John Adams’ argument that charging Schmitz with all three crimes constituted double jeopardy. The acts necessary to commit the lesser crimes also were necessary circumstances for first-degree murder, Adams said.

Instead, McFadden ordered that Schmitz stand trial and be held in the Kootenai County Jail without bail. He will be tried as an adult.

Evenson’s body was found April 16 - three weeks after the 52-year-old man’s death - under a pile of moving boxes in the back of a pickup parked off Chilco Road.

, DataTimes