Skagit County rampage suspect’s lawyers get three weeks to argue against death penalty

Published 2:13 pm Thursday, September 24, 2009

MOUNT VERNON — A Skagit County judge has granted the lawyers of a man charged with killing six people a second three-week extension to complete the paperwork that aims to persuade the prosecutor’s office away from seeking the death penalty.

The Skagit Valley Herald reported county Superior Court Judge Mike Rickert granted the extension on Wednesday to Isaac Zamora’s lawyers.

Zamora is accused of killing six people, including a sheriff’s deputy, and injuring four others in a shooting spree in September 2008 that started in the Alger area.

Rickert said he granted the extension because of the “monumental nature of the decision,” but added Zamora’s attorneys should be ready for the Oct. 14 court date.

Skagit County prosecutor Rich Weyrich has until mid-November to decide whether he will seek the death penalty.