Mother of son allegedly killed by released inmate to sue state

Published 12:53 pm Friday, February 26, 2016

OLYMPIA — A woman whose son was allegedly shot and killed by a prisoner who was mistakenly released early is planning to sue the state.

A tort claim was filed Thursday with the state’s Office of Risk Management by attorneys for Veronica Medina-Gonzalez. The filing of a tort claim is the first step before an official lawsuit can be filed. Ceasar Medina was one of two deaths tied to the early release of more than 3,000 prisoners due to a software coding error. Authorities say he was killed May 26 by Jeremiah Smith, who was wrongly released on May 14. Less than two weeks later, he gunned down Ceasar Medina, 17, at a tattoo parlor in Spokane, authorities said.

Smith, who had been convicted of robbery, burglary and assault, shouldn’t have been released until Aug. 10.