In brief: Police probing dragging death
Police are seeking information in the death of a woman who was apparently struck by a car and dragged for nearly a mile early Sunday morning in north Spokane.
The body of the woman, whose identity was not released pending an autopsy, was discovered near the intersection of Maxwell Avenue and Ash Street shortly after 4 a.m., according to the Spokane Police Department.
Police followed a trail of evidence backward to a spot near the intersection of Cedar Street and Carlisle Avenue, which is where police believe the woman was initially struck, Officer Glenn Bartlett said.
Roads in the area were closed in the morning while police investigated.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call (509) 242-TIPS.
Sandpoint
Judge rejects driver’s claim
A North Idaho judge has rejected a claim by a man charged with vehicular manslaughter that he was intimidated into talking with Idaho State Police following a deadly crash.
Second District Judge Steve Verby ruled last week there was no evidence to support Zachary Bradshaw Palmer’s intimidation claim and found that Palmer voluntarily waived his right to remain silent.
Palmer told Idaho State Trooper Terry Ford that he had been drinking alcohol the morning of the crash on Oct. 8, 2008.
Palmer’s passenger, 18-year-old Tyler James Pesce, was killed when the vehicle overturned.
Palmer’s five-day jury trial is expected to begin this spring.
TACOMA
Reports released on truck death
Neither the driver nor officials at a monster truck competition immediately realized anyone was hurt after debris from one of the vehicles shot into the stands, killing a boy and badly injuring a man, police reports show.
The reports obtained by the News Tribune also show there had been a problem with the remote ignition interrupter, a radio-activated device used by event officials to kill the engine, in Natural High, the truck from which the metallic debris tore loose.
The reports do not reach any conclusions about what caused the accident that left 6-year-old Sebastian Hizey dead and Eric W. Smith, 40, of Edgewood, badly injured during the Monster Jam show Jan. 16 at the Tacoma Dome.
City officials said they would not comment because the Hizey family has hired a lawyer.
Walla Walla
Ruling clears way for execution
A man facing the death penalty for the beating deaths of two women nearly 13 years ago has been scheduled for execution next month.
The U.S. District Court on Thursday denied the latest appeal by Dwayne A. Woods, 39, said Janelle Guthrie, communications director for the state attorney general’s office. The court denied all remaining claims and lifted the stay of execution in his case, which automatically reset the date to March 20, Guthrie said.
Woods was convicted in 1997 by a Spokane County jury of two counts of aggravated first-degree murder for the deaths of Telisha Shaver and Jade Moore. According to a 1998 Spokesman-Review article, Woods raped and then beat Moore to death with an aluminum baseball bat, then beat Shaver to death when she unexpectedly arrived at the residence where the crime occurred.
Eight men are currently under the death sentence in Washington state. All are incarcerated at Washington State Penitentiary.