Loukaitis Trial A Burden On Victims’ Families Journey To Seattle Made More Excruciating When Juror’s Illness Cancels Tuesday’s Session

Licha and Manuel Vela got up at 4 a.m. in Moses Lake and battled rush-hour traffic into Seattle on Tuesday to watch Barry Loukaitis, 16, stand trial for the murder of their son.

Once again, they each took leave from their jobs.

Once again, they left their infant son in the care of Licha’s sister. Their other surviving son had to start his first day of sixth grade without them.

All so they could arrive in an empty courtroom, breathless, to learn the trial had been postponed for a day.

A member of the jury took ill, and while he is expected back today, proceedings in the case were unexpectedly called to a halt.

So it goes for Eastern Washington family members following Loukaitis’ trial. They drive from as far away as Spokane, and endure painful testimony on top of the aggravation and expense of being away from home.

Every day of the trial adds to the burden family members have carried since Feb. 2, 1996, when Loukaitis burst into his Moses Lake algebra class and opened fire on his classmates and teacher with a high-powered rifle.

Witnesses subpoenaed to testify are compensated for their travel expenses and are paid $30 a day to cover parking and meals. Overnight accommodations are also paid for, and in the case of expert witnesses, fees into the thousands of dollars are not uncommon for their time and expertise.

For family members it’s a different story. Victims’ relatives fend for themselves.

The Velas are staying with Manuel’s brother in Olympia. That’s at least a two-hour drive each way from Seattle in rush-hour traffic on Interstate 5.

The cheapest parking they can find is a 10-block or longer walk from the courthouse - a tough trek in the rain that fell every day during the first week of the trial. The Velas have to pay for their own gas and meals.

“It’s a huge financial hit,” Manuel Vela said.

Listening to the testimony is also painful.

“We have to be here for our son. But it’s also very damaging for me,” he said. “Sometimes it’s very healing to hear people say nice things about my son. That makes me cry. But to hear the story over and over again, that hurts me. And I never look at the pictures.”

The Velas left the courtroom when large, color pictures of the crime scene were displayed for the jury, showing their son’s body wrapped in a sheet on the classroom floor and his school books lying in a pool of blood.

Since the tragedy, they look differently at their surviving children, as well as their nieces and nephews. “I look at them every day like it’s the last time.”

The Velas’ 14-year-old boy, named after Manuel, was killed in the melee. So were Arnold Fritz, 14, and teacher Leona Caires. Natalie Hintz, 13, was seriously wounded.

Loukaitis is standing trial in Seattle because the judge ruled that extensive pretrial publicity made a fair trial impossible in Grant County. The defendant is charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder, one count of second-degree assault, and 16 counts of kidnapping. He is being tried as an adult and if convicted faces life in prison without parole.

He has admitted the shootings but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

For Helmut Hintz, Natalie’s grandfather, the trial means being away from his wheat and corn crops at harvest time. Relatives and hired help are doing work he has never before left to others.

“We are just doing it the best we can. It’s not good. It’s the first time I’ve ever been away from harvest, and I’ve farmed all my life.”

He and his wife, Myrtle, drove to Seattle on Monday from Moses Lake, while others were enjoying the end of their three-day weekend. Rather than pay for a Seattle hotel, they are staying in a camper throughout the trial, which may last another month.

Natalie’s grandparents are in court every day, listening quietly to the testimony. They don’t leave until the judge recesses the trial for the day.

“We are going to see this thing through to the end,” Hintz said. “But it refreshes all the memories. How ridiculous and unnecessary it was.”

Grant County Prosecutor John Knodell said he was concerned by Tuesday’s delay. Three jurors have left the case, which leaves only one alternate in a lengthy and difficult trial.

“Every day that goes by increases the possibility of a mistrial,” Knodell said. And he is aware of the burden the trial puts on the witnesses and victims.

“We are all eager for closure in this case.”

, DataTimes