Lewiston police: Double-homicide case at standstill
Double-homicide suspect Richard Carlin could remain in Oregon fighting extradition anywhere from two weeks to two months.
Carlin is accused of killing his ex-wife and daughter at a Lewiston Orchards home Nov. 21. He also allegedly stabbed his grandson, Jonathan Michael Spaeth, 20, causing severe injuries to his back and hands. Carlin was arrested later that day at a truck stop in Stanfield, Ore.
Carlin contested extradition, telling an Oregon judge last week that if transferred to Idaho, “there is no way (he’d) get a fair trial.”
His next court hearing is set for Dec. 11, and a status hearing on a governor’s warrant is set for Jan. 8. In Oregon, defendants accused of committing an extraditable crime in another state can only be transferred following the governor’s signature. The Nez Perce County Prosecutor’s Office has to file the appropriate paperwork to extradite Carlin, and an Oregon judge has to sign off on it before it reaches the governor.
Lewiston police Lt. Budd Hurd said for now the case is at a “standstill.”
Hurd said Carlin has refused to speak with investigators in Oregon. He also reportedly retained an attorney. An Oregon public defender’s office is listed as representing Carlin, but in a call to the office, officials said Carlin is not listed as a client.
Until Carlin is returned to Lewiston, his two first-degree murder charges and first-degree attempted murder charge remain sealed from public view. Hurd said Stanfield police are trying to secure search warrants on the 1996 Toyota Corolla he fled in and seize any possible evidence. Hurd said he was told a small amount of blood was seen inside the vehicle.
Raetta Carlin, 72, and Michelle Carlin, 50, both died from what police called “blunt force trauma and strangulation,” inside a home at 631 Preston Ave., Circle Drive Mobile Home Park. Spaeth, Michelle Carlin’s son, was treated and released at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center.
Richard Carlin is a convicted sex offender. Both his daughter and ex-wife spoke with police at the time he was arrested for those previous crimes. Carlin spent nine years in prison and was discharged in 2013 after being convicted of holding a pocket knife to a 12-year-old girl’s throat and molesting her.
When Stanfield police arrested Carlin on Nov. 21, a female passenger was in his car. The woman had nothing to do with the alleged incident in Lewiston, according to authorities.