Tri-Cities counselor accused of murder needs to hire attorney. He still hasn’t
KENNEWICK – The murder case against a 38-year-old counselor has ground to a stop as he’s struggled to find an attorney.
Michael Thomas Smith is accused of strangling his longtime girlfriend, Jenna Olafson, 38, at an El Rancho Reata home on July 8. The couple, who were both counselors, lived in the basement of the home that Olafson’s mother owned.
After Smith allegedly committed the murder, police said he tried to die by suicide, which led to a five-day stay at the hospital.
He was charged with second-degree murder, and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. If he is convicted of that charge, he faces a potential prison sentence between 10 and 18 years.
While he was initially appointed a public defender, he met with Charlie Dow, the county’s manager of Public Defense, and was told he had too much in assets to qualify for an attorney, according to a recent hearing.
The financial eligibility form used to determine whether he qualified is not part of the court documents.
State law limits appointment of attorneys to people who are indigent. This means they either make less than 125% of the federal poverty level, are on public assistance, or are unable to afford the cost of an attorney.
Smith has worked a therapist for four years, and was qualified also as a licensed computer tomography technologist. The job uses computerized X-ray equipment to create cross sections of human anatomy.
While he ran his own business, it’s unclear how much money he has saved. According to public records, he also owns a home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Dow had given Smith the names and numbers of some local attorneys at a previous court hearing.
Smith appeared in court on Aug. 2, and said he didn’t know how he would get the money to pay for an attorney after being told he didn’t qualify for court appointed representation.
At the time, Judge Sam Swanberg ordered him to try to contact attorneys and warned that the case may move forward without him being represented if he doesn’t find one.
He returned to court on Wednesday in front of Judge Jacqueline Stam, and said he had only contacted one attorney.
When she questioned him about representing himself, he said he didn’t understand several aspects of what that would entail.
At the end of the hearing, Stam gave him another week to call attorneys. He will be back in court again on Aug. 16.
Smith allegedly told detectives that he killed Olafson, and then tried to use a knife to die by suicide. When that didn’t work, he allegedly swallowed some pills.
Olafson’s mother and friend found Olafson’s body the next day on the back patio of the home.
Smith was still at the house and Tri-City Regional SWAT team members got him to come outside.
Smith and Olafson were both licensed mental health counselors, who had been together for about seven years.
They each had started their private practice within the past year.