On Tuesday (Nov. 17th), Leemah Carneh, the man accused of murdering an elderly couple and two teens at a Des Moines home in 2001, pleaded guilty to murder.
Carneh, 28, pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated first-degree murder with a firearm for the brutal killings. These charges carry a mandatory life sentence, which King County Superior Court Judge Palmer Robinson imposed following the plea.
Carneh, who was 19 at the time, is accused of killing Richard and Jane Larson, 63 and 64, their grandson Taelor Marks, 17, and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Josie Peterson, in the Larsons’ home in March 2001. Peterson was a cheerleader at Evergreen High School when she was killed.
As we reported previously, Judge Robinson, following a competency hearing that took place over several weeks, ruled in August that Carneh was mentally fit to stand trial. He was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic not long after his arrest.
Carneh was arraigned on the four counts of aggravated first-degree murder immediately following Robinson’s ruling.
According to police investigators, Carneh allegedly gunned down Marks’ grandparents, hid their bodies, then waited inside the house for Peterson and Marks and brutally beat them in an ambush when they came home. King County prosecutors allege that Carneh was obsessed with Peterson, who didn’t know him.
He was arrested at his home two days after the killings. When police searched Carneh’s house after the killings they found a photo of Peterson, a ring belonging to Marks, luggage with the Larson’s name on it, a stereo from Marks’ car, a handgun – and bloody clothes.
Despite this evidence, criminal proceedings were delayed while Carneh was treated for his mental condition at Western State Hospital. On several occasions, he was returned to the King County Jail only to be sent back to the hospital when it was determined he still was not mentally competent to participate in his defense.
After prosecutors decided not to seek the death penalty, Carneh will now face life in prison without the possibility of parole. In late 2005, he received a civil commitment to Western State when another superior court judge ruled he still was not competent to stand trial but under state law no longer could be held on the criminal charges.
One year later, prosecutors were notified by officials at Western State that Carneh’s mental condition has improved to the point that he no longer needed constant supervision. They also said he was eligible to earn permission to leave the hospital grounds. At that point, prosecutors re-filed the murder charges and requested a new competency hearing for Carneh. But it took another two and a half years with a new treatment regime before he was finally found fit to stand trial.
Shortly before the original murder charges against Carneh were dismissed, Taelor’s mother Lorraine Marks said, “It’s unbelievable to me. He wrote the book on how to commit murder and get away with it…. I’m furious with the system.”
When the charges against Mr. Carneh were dismissed in 2005 and he was sent from the King County Jail back to the mental treatment facility, prosecutors said it was unlikely, even if he never went to trial for the murders, that he ever would ever be free again.
But late last year, prosecutors learned the defendant had made enough improvement to be unsupervised and perhaps even leave the grounds of the institution. At that point, they re-filed the charges of aggravated first-degree murder against him. Yet now, he again has been found mentally unfit. Western State staff believe additional treatment alternatives can help Mr. Carneh become competent so he finally can stand trial.
On Friday (Nov. 13th) Toan Le, 51, and Hang Ho, 41, of the Crystal Nails salon in Burien plead guilty in US District Court to charges of attempting to illegally import an unapproved skin treatment device as well as two counts of attempting to bribe a federal official.
Le pleaded guilty to bribing a public official, and could face up to two years in prison. Ho pleaded guilty to importing an unapproved medical device into the country, which could result in one year in the slammer.
According to court documents, Ho attempted to import a laser-type device called a”skin light machine,” which emits radiation and has not been approved by the FDA for use in the US.
Le and Ho also plead guilty to offering bribes of $500, then $800 to a federal FDA official to overlook the unapproved machinery.
Crystal Nails is located at 15728 First Ave South in Burien.
According to the FDA, some consumers have suffered severe burns and infection, and others have actually died after being treated by the unapproved laser devices.
Crystal Nails is located at 15728 First Ave South in Burien, in the strip mall behind McDonald’s and Roundtable Pizza, and across the parking lot from Page2 Books.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
According to The Seattle TImes, a stay of execution was granted today to Cal Coburn Brown, the convicted 1991 killer of Burien’s Holly Washa.
Washington State Supreme Court judges voted 5-4 to grant Brown’s 11th-hour appeal, after another lower-court judge had denied it on Wednesday.
Brown’s execution by lethal injection was scheduled to occur just after midnight Friday morning at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.
Brown carjacked Washa, 22, then held her against her will for two days in a SeaTac motel, raping and torturing her before slashing her throat.
According to court documents, Brown suffered from bi-polar disorder, but has been medicated since 1994.
Read the full story here.
On Wednesday, a judge turned down an attempted stay of execution for Cal Coburn Brown, a man convicted of the 1991 rape, torture and murder of Holly Washa, 22, of Burien.
Brown carjacked Washa, then held her against her will for two days in a SeaTac motel, raping and torturing her before slashing her throat.
According to court documents, Brown suffered from bi-polar disorder, but has been medicated since 1994.
Barring any other last-minute decisions, Brown will be executed via lethal injection just after midnight Friday at Walla Walla State Penitentiary.
He will be the first King County prisoner put to death since 1993, with the state of Washington reinstated the death penalty.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
Seven south King County cities, including Burien, announced Thursday their plans to build a 668-bed misdemeanor jail in neighboring Des Moines.
The cities on board this venture, which is called the South Correctional Entity (or “SCORE,” not to be confused with the small business advisors “SCORE”), include:
- Burien
- Des Moines
- Tukwila
- SeaTac
- Federal Way
- Renton
- Auburn
SCORE is hoping to open this new jail in mid-2011 to replace jail space that will no longer be provided by the county. The seven cities will team up to handle all operations of the new facility.
From a press release, here’s a quote from SeaTac Mayor Ralph Shape:
“Meeting the public safety needs of our residents while keeping costs down is our number one goal. SCORE meets that need.”
The entity has hired a consulting firm, which proposed that the area will need nearly 700 additional jail cells by 2026, and that cities could reduce costs by working together.
The preferred site for the new jail is near Des Moines Creek Park, on a 14-acre parcel owned by the Port of Seattle located southwest of where South 208th intersects with 18th Ave South (see map below).
Next steps in this project is the permitting process, which will also allow for public comments and review; here’s more info from the SCORE website:
SCORE is currently seeking applicants for the Community Outreach Team.
The Community Outreach Team will work with SCORE to address community concerns and questions.
If you are interested in participating, send your letter of interest to:
SCORE Outreach Team
1055 South Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057Priority will be given to:
- Applicants that live in the cities of Des Moines or Tukwila
- Applicants that live west of 18th Avenue South
- Applicants that live South of 200th Street
- Applicants that live north of 216th Street
Questions and Comments can be e-mailed to SCOREjail@rentonwa.gov
A public meeting on this jail is scheduled for Wednesday, March 25th at 8:30am at the Renton City Hall.
So…what are your thoughts on having a new jail in our area?
Please Comment below the map…
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According to numerous news sources, the Washington man scheduled to be executed March 13th has a bad Burien connection.
Cal Coburn Brown was convicted in 1993 of the 1991 murder of Holly Washa, a 22-year old Burien woman.
He carjacked her near SeaTac Airport, held her captive for 34 hours at a motel, raped, robbed, tortured and slashed her to death, then left her body in the trunk of her car.
Brown will be put down on March 13th at the state Penitentiary at Walla Walla.
A Burien man was sentenced to more than 97 years in prison for shooting and killing his boss and two others more than five years ago.
Tony Smith, 29, was convicted of three counts of first degree murder for the shooting deaths of Francisco Santos-Rojas, 24, his 16-year-old nephew, Edgar Santos and Ruben Fuentes, 24.
The three were slain Jan. 3, 2003, in an SUV parked on the West Valley Highway in Kent.
SOURCE:
BURIEN – A Burien woman was sentenced to three years in prison for bank fraud and identity theft.
U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton in Tacoma also ordered Amy Tuita, 30, to pay $72,000 in restitution.
Prosecutors claim that from February of 2006 to March of 2007, Tuita and co-defendant Everett James conspired with at least eight other people to defraud merchants and banks in Washington, Oregon, California, Utah and Idaho.
The group members used stolen or counterfeit checks to purchase large amounts of merchandise at one store, and then return it to another branch of the store for cash.
Prosecutors say the group defrauded Nordstrom of almost $70,000 and Wal-Mart of more than $34,000. All told, stolen checks and fake driver’s licenses were used to purchase almost $200,000 in goods and services.
James pleaded guilty and was sentenced earlier to 65 months in prison and $190,947 in restitution.
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TUKWILA – Earlier this month we reported about the April 13 shooting death at a Dr. Dre book signing after-party in Tukwila, and today charges of second-degree murder and assault were filed by King County prosecutors.
Lovelychild “Fredde Mac” James Manuel (yes, that’s his real name) is in jail on $1 million bail.
Manuel is scheduled to be arraigned on May 8 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
Devon Guidry was shot and killed and Paul Dervin was wounded by gunfire outside Gordon’s on the Green restaurant at Foster Golf Links, where a party had been held for the authors of the Dr. Dre biography
Witnesses told police that Manuel shot Guidry in the back of the head after an argument. He then fled in an SUV driven from the scene by another man.
Following the shooting, police received several anonymous tips that Manuel had been involved in the shooting and was planning to leave the state.
Officers arrested Manuel following a traffic stop in SeaTac. According to police, Manuel admitted to being at the restaurant during a party for two authors of a book about rapper Dr. Dre but denied any involvement in the shootings.
On Monday, King County prosecutors charged Manuel with second-degree murder and second-degree assault, both with firearm enhancements. He is being held in the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent on $1 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned May 8.
If convicted as charged, Manuel, who has two previous felony convictions, faces 23 to 32 years in prison.
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Found on seattle-tacoma craigslist > seattle > free stuff:
free ibm thinkpad laptop
i don’t know anything about this laptop specs or anything.
all i know that it was bought about 5 months ago.
i’m going to jail Monday Mar 3rd for 10 yrs and i’m trying to do the last good deed.
i will give this away to who pick up this tonight.
contact me @ niksincere@yahoo.com
