For Third Time, Maupin Pleads Not Guilty

Thomas Edward Maupin didn’t hesitate a second Thursday when asked what his plea was to charges of killing 6-year-old Tricna Cloy.

He’s given the same answer twice before. “Not guilty,” he said in a loud, clear voice.

A Feb. 17 trial is scheduled in Spokane County Superior Court.

Maupin, 46, has twice been convicted of kidnapping and killing the Spokane child in January 1988.

His first murder conviction, in 1990, was reversed two years later by the state Court of Appeals.

Earlier this year, Maupin’s second murder conviction was overturned by the state Supreme Court.

Justices unanimously said the defendant’s right to a fair trial was violated when the judge disallowed testimony on Maupin’s behalf from a witness who hadn’t testified in the first trial.

, DataTimes