This day in history: Mail-bomb murder case comes to close with 24-year-old sentenced to life in prison; Oil barrel explosions in Veradale burns warehouse

From 1976: Ricky Anthony Young, 24, was sentenced to a life term for the mail-bomb murder of Judge James. J. Lawless in Pasco.

The Spokane judge who presided over the trial also denied a motion for a new trial.

Young continued to deny that he sent the mail bomb.

“I am innocent and I am sure the truth will come out,” Young told the Spokane judge.

The judge had previously dismissed allegations that one of the jurors had a “preconceived notion” about Young’s guilt. The judge also ruled that Young had been “vigorously and adequately defended” by counsel.

This brought an end to the long-running Young saga. In a previous trial, the jury had been unable to reach a verdict.

From 1926: “Repeated explosions” punctuated an early morning fire at the Long-Gillespie Warehouse and Packing House in Veradale.

The explosions were heard two miles away and were caused by bursting barrels of oil.

The rest of the warehouse contained orchard supplies and two train-carloads of apples.

The warehouse was wrecked and several other buildings were “threatened by the conflagration for some time, but there was no wind and valiant efforts confined the flames to the warehouse,” the Spokane Chronicle reported.

Also on this day

(From onthisday.com)

2010: A 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastates Haiti, killing approximately 160,000 and destroying the majority of the capital Port-au-Prince.