In brief: Third trial in murder brings guilty verdict

After two Whitman County juries were unable to reach a verdict, Daniel Lazcano was convicted Wednesday in a Spokane courtroom of first-degree murder in the 2011 shooting death of Marcus Schur.

“It’s been a very long haul,” said Whitman County prosecuting attorney Denis Tracy on Thursday. “But in the end Daniel Lazcano’s being held accountable for what he did.”

Frank Lazcano, Daniel’s brother, was also found guilty of murder in a separate trial earlier this year in Whitman County. The two will be imprisoned for shooting Schur in a Malden, Wash., alley twice with an AK-47 in December 2011, then dumping his body in a creek. The getaway car was torched in the woods near Nine Mile Falls. Authorities later discovered Schur’s body and the murder weapon, which turned up in the Spokane River in September 2012.

Daniel Lazcano’s third trial was moved to Spokane to find an impartial jury, Tracy said. Frank Lazcano was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the murder. His brother will be sentenced in Whitman County next month.

Kip Hill

Snowstorm likely to mark start of winter

A snowstorm should arrive today in time for the official start of winter and cover the Inland Northwest in a layer of white before Christmas.

The National Weather Service has issued outlooks for varying amounts of snow across the region today.

Spokane and Coeur d’Alene should see 1 to 3 inches of snow while the Palouse region, Silver Valley and central Idaho Panhandle could see as much as 5 inches. Those areas are under a winter storm watch.

Light amounts of snow are possible overnight into Saturday morning.

The region sees a break in storms on Saturday and Sunday with highs in the 30s and lows in the 20s.

The next storm with rain or snow moves into the region on Sunday night and Monday. Rain is expected in low elevations Monday, creating uncertainty about how long the white layer will last.

Mike Prager

Sheriff, wife injured in auto accident

Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich was rear-ended in an unmarked car on Thursday evening, the Sheriff’s Office said.

A pickup truck struck Knezovich’s car from behind just after 6 p.m. at a stop sign at the intersection of Havana Street and Third Avenue.

The sheriff and his wife, who was a passenger, experienced pain and were taken to the hospital as a precaution. The Sheriff’s Office said the couple’s injuries did not appear to be serious.

Kip Hill