County Wants More Prison Time For Convicted Killers Prosecutors To Request Exceptional Term For Jackson, 60 Years For Pietrzak

Fri., Oct. 13, 2000

By Kevin Blocker kevinb@spokesman.com

Judge James Murphy is scheduled to sentence convicted murderer Brad Jackson on Nov. 9.

Spokane County Prosecutor Steve Tucker said his office will seek an exceptional prison sentence for Jackson, but he isn’t sure of the length of term prosecutors will suggest.

Jackson faces a minimum of 20 to 28 years in prison for the death of his 9-year-old daughter Valiree. A jury unanimously convicted Jackson last week.

Jackson killed Valiree, buried her south of the Spokane Valley, exhumed her remains and placed them in a shallow grave in Stevens County a year ago.

Detectives found the grave by planting tracking devices on Jackson’s vehicles. On Oct. 18 last year he had reported her missing from his parents’ Valley home where he and Valiree lived.

In the other major murder cases in Spokane County:

Prosecutors and defense attorneys will appear in court Wednesday before Judge Linda Tompkins as the defense requests a new trial for Stan Pietrzak, who was convicted on Aug. 22 for the murder of Kelly Conway, Tucker said.

Though Pietrzak faces a sentencing range of 22 to 30 years, Tucker said prosecutors will ask Tompkins to sentence him to 60 years.

Pietrzak, 46, murdered Conway in November 1998 at the Helen Apartments, 173 S. Adams.

Bone fragments were found in the building’s basement furnace. Conway’s head and hands were never found.

Tucker and defense attorneys for accused serial killer Robert Lee Yates Jr. are scheduled to meet this morning to resume discussions about Yates’ fate.

Yates, 48, is charged with eight counts of aggravated first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree robbery.

Pierce County attorneys have charged Yates with two counts of aggravated murder for killings near Tacoma. All of the women Yates is accused of killing were involved in drugs, prostitution or both. Tucker said he intends to decide by Dec. 1 whether to pursue the death penalty for Yates.

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