Briefly

Man charged with sexually assaulting girl

A Spokane Valley man was arrested Wednesday after being accused of sexually assaulting a girl several times from the time she was 11 until she turned 18, according to court documents.

Robert A. Sexsmith, 52, was booked into jail on charges that include first-degree child molestation and second-degree child rape.

The victim, who knew Sexsmith and is now in her 20s, told detectives she tried to forget about the abuse but told a psychologist about it this year, court records say.

The victim made contact with a second woman, who also reported being abused by Sexsmith, court documents say. The second victim, who also knew Sexsmith, told an investigator she was 13 when she was abused.

On Wednesday, police recorded a conversation between the first victim and Sexsmith. In the conversation, Sexsmith admitted to sexually abusing her, court documents say.

High court tosses murderer’s death sentence

Olympia The Washington Supreme Court on Thursday threw out the death sentence for a murderer, sending the case back to Pierce County for a new penalty trial.

The 8-1 ruling came in a case involving Cecil Emile Davis, who was convicted in 1998 of the premeditated murder of Yoshiko Couch. Davis repeatedly raped the 65-year-old Couch in her home on Jan. 25, 1997, and killed her by placing her in a bathtub and suffocating her with a towel soaked in a household solvent. He also used a steel-wool cleaning pad to scrub evidence from her body, tearing off pieces of skin.

The jury found aggravating circumstances of rape, robbery and burglary that made him eligible for the death penalty. The jury recommended that leniency not be shown and Pierce County Superior Court Judge Frederick Fleming sentenced him to death.

The high court upheld his conviction and sentence in 2000, but later accepted a new appeal based primarily on his contention that his lawyer didn’t effectively represent him. Davis also challenged the constitutionality of the death penalty and the state’s post-conviction procedures for handling capital cases.

The high court, in an opinion written by Justice Faith Ireland, affirmed the Court of Appeals regarding the guilt phase of his trial, but took up 17 separate arguments about the imposition of the death penalty, primarily regarding the effectiveness of counsel.

Catholic Charities is third-biggest nonprofit

The Catholic Charities network, which includes the one at the Diocese of Spokane, was ranked third in size among all nonprofits in the country, according to a recent report from the Nonprofit Times.

Nearly 90 percent of the Catholic Charities USA’s combined revenue – almost $2.9 billion last year – were spent on programs and services ranging from day care and counseling to food and housing. That makes the organization one of the country’s most efficient charities.

Catholic Charities USA, which was founded in 1910, moved up a notch in the rankings since last year. To be included in the “NPT 100,” nonprofits must raise at least 10 percent of their total revenue from public sources such as individual donors and foundation. According to the Nonprofit Times, the two largest nonprofits in the country are YMCAs in the United States and the American Red Cross. The Salvation Army was ranked fourth and United Jewish Communities came in fifth.

For the past two years, the Catholic Charities network also has been in the top 20 of the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual “Philanthropy 400.”

Locally, Catholic Charities of Spokane’s 15 programs served more than 44,000 people in Eastern Washington last year. Of those receiving assistance, 85 percent weren’t Catholic. Separately incorporated from the Diocese of Spokane, Catholic Charities or Spokane’s programs include Catholic Relief Services, Childbirth and Parenting Alone Program, the Christmas Bureau, St. Anne’s Children and Family Center and House of Charity.