Jolene Desrosier, a 17-year-old Lake Stevens High School senior who was asserting her independence by living on her own, was accomplishing her high goals at school and on the job. Now she’s dead, and an acquaintance is charged with her murder.
By Eric Stevick
Herald Writers
Jolene Desrosier, a Lake Stevens High School senior who was strangled in her south Everett apartment last week, was an industrious student who was as self-reliant in life as she was hard-working in the classroom.
Even as she worked full time as a waitress to support herself, she enrolled in some of the toughest classes her school offered.
Many of the classes — including biology, calculus, history and chemistry — were advanced placement courses covering college-level material. She paid to take college-level exams and maintained a 3.6 grade point average.
Jolene Desrosier |
"Jo probably achieved more, given her personal circumstances, than any student I have known," said Jim Talley, who had Desrosier in a college-level U.S. history course last year.
Talley described Desrosier as an ambitious and inquisitive student who worked hard, not just for grades, but for knowledge.
"One could see a mind visibly at work the whole time she was in the classroom," he said.
Desrosier, 17, known as Jo to many, wasn’t always the poster child for academic achievement. Isaiah Johnson, a Lake Stevens High School senior, remembered taking a science class with her as a freshman. She was clearly intelligent, but not motivated.
At some point, she immersed herself in her studies, and Johnson witnessed her transformation.
"She had some kind of change of heart in between freshman and sophomore year," Johnson said. "She went from being an average student … to someone who was taking control of her life and making it the best she could possibly make it.
"It was one of those things where you realize, ‘I’m going in this direction when I want to go in that direction,’ " Johnson said. "…It’s always a shock to see someone make a full turn like that."
In May 2000, Desrosier won first place in a statewide Spanish literary contest for an essay she wrote, and was honored at a ceremony at the Capitol in Olympia. The essay’s topic was "Mi Familia," or "My Family."
Desrosier gave Johnson a ride home from school nearly every day last year in her white Nissan pickup. For Johnson, it meant enduring country music. Her favorite, not his. It was well worth the twang. They discussed many subjects. He said he found her to be remarkably candid with her thoughts.
"It’s really hard to get back to a school schedule when all I think about is Jo every five minutes," he said.
Johnson is not the only Lake Stevens student whose thoughts drift back to his classmate. Roughly 30 students, calling themselves the Friends of Jo Desrosier, gathered after school Tuesday to brainstorm ways to honor her. They discussed a scholarship, a memorial and money to defray funeral expenses.
The group plans to establish an account in her name at Wells Fargo Bank in the next few days.
"The students really wanted to have money for a scholarship, because she was so serious about her schoolwork," said Arlene Hulten, a school district representative.
Other tributes to Desrosier were visible on the campus Tuesday, including a memorial beside her locker and in her parking space.
Desrosier had been living on her own for only a few months. She rented an apartment in downtown Everett in May, and later moved to south Everett, closer to her job at Denny’s on 128th Street SW, where she worked as a waitress. In July, she petitioned the Snohomish County Superior Court for emancipation, a legal procedure that would give her all the rights and responsibilities of an adult.
Her mother supported the move, and the court granted the request Aug. 7.
In her petition, Desrosier wrote with pride about her ability to hold down a job, attend school, prepare for college and save money for a trip to Europe.
"For as long as I can remember, I have always emotionally taken care of myself," she wrote. "I’ve developed my own study skills for school, and I have achieved a lot in that area.
"For the last year (while I lived with my mother), I paid for my gas, all but about two pieces of my clothes, most of my food and any expenses for things that I wanted to do."
On Monday, co-workers at Denny’s dedicated some karaoke songs to Desrosier. They’ve also maintained a memorial outside her apartment, adding purple flowers (her favorite color), notes, and, with the help of other tenants at the apartment, keeping candles burning.
"She always had a smile," said co-worker Julie Braun, who lived with Desrosier for more than a month. "She liked to read. She liked Spanish and French. "She was adored by the customers. She had her regular Saturday and Sunday morning crowd. The crew is taking it hard."
Desrosier had worked at Denny’s since about April 2000, her friends said. She had lived in the south Everett apartment less than three weeks.
"She was just a very nice young girl, very pleasant," said Kristine Rohlinger of Bluestone Properties, which manages the apartment complex. "She was going to the (University of Washington) next year. School was pretty important to her. She was really trying to break the cycle of a broken home and get beyond a troubled childhood.
Neighbors planted a tree in her memory Sunday at the complex.
Michele Burgess had worked with Desrosier for more than six months.
"Within a week, she was calling me mom," she said. "She was awesome. She had so much going for her. She could have graduated last year. She didn’t want to. She wanted to wait and graduate with her friends. You couldn’t have asked for a better daughter, a better friend, a better kid."
Burgess’ 5-year-old niece, Samantha Jo Tolte, made yellow, pink and white ribbons for the Denny’s crew to wear in Desrosier’s honor. She and Burgess plan to make more so they can hand them out to all Desrosier’s friends.
"She’ll never be forgotten by any of us. She touched a lot of hearts, probably more than she ever knew," Burgess said.
Snohomish County prosecutors on Tuesday charged Robert Dale Woods, 21, with second-degree murder. The single-page criminal complaint contained no new details about the case. It alleges that he killed Desrosier while engaged in the crime of unlawful imprisonment.
She had been bound and was the victim of an apparent sexual assault, according to court papers. An autopsy showed she was strangled.
Woods called police to the scene after he said he left the apartment and returned to find the teen near death. In the car he was driving, police found a partially used roll of duct tape, consistent with the tape used to bind the victim, court papers show.
He remained jailed Tuesday in lieu of $250,000 bail.
Woods told police he had been staying at Desrosier’s apartment but was not her boyfriend. Officials say he had been dating her sister, a relationship that court records indicate was marred by allegations of domestic violence.
Woods, who at one time attended Lake Stevens High School, has a history of arrests and prosecution for physical assaults, both as a juvenile and an adult.
Additional charges are likely, said Jim Townsend, the county’s chief criminal deputy prosecutor.
Reporter Cathy Logg contributed to this report.
You can call Herald Writer Eric Stevick at 425-339-3446 or send e-mail to stevick@heraldnet.com.
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