Brother of bank robbery suspect may face prison

SEATTLE — The older brother of a man charged with a violent bank robbery has been convicted of intimidating a witness and acquitted on a charge of stealing tires.

Lorenzo Marr, 27, could face more than a year in prison under the verdict returned Tuesday by a King County Superior Court jury that began deliberations a week earlier following a two-day trial. Sentencing was set for next month.

Prosecutors said Marr went to Autosport McMullen in Renton earlier this year to dispute accusations that he had stolen a $1,200 set of tires.

The owner said Marr talked of following him home one night, angry and thinking about shooting him. Then, the owner said, Marr flashed a gun in an ankle holster and told him not to testify in a possession-of-stolen-goods case.

Marr’s brother, Aristotle Napoleon Marr, 25, turned himself in late in February after an international manhunt, and is charged with robbery, kidnapping and assault related to a June 22, 2000, bank robbery and shootout with police. His trial is set for next year.

Vancouver

Father shoots son: A man shot and killed his son after being attacked and injured by the young man, whom he had kicked out of the house, Clark County sheriff’s deputies said. Deputies responding to a report of a dispute involving a gun found Omar Hal Malone, 19, dead Tuesday morning at the family home in the suburbs north of town. His father, Burl Malone, 61, was treated at a hospital for head injuries, sheriff’s Sgt. Jim Eastman said. Eastman said he was told the young man stole something from a family member and was shot by his father after he attacked the older man with a shovel, golf club or both.

Spokane

Killer’s execution date set: A Dec. 12 execution date was set for a man convicted of beating two women to death with a baseball bat, but prosecutors say the sentence is not likely to be carried out anytime soon. Spokane County Superior Judge Michael Donohue on Tuesday set the date for Dwayne Woods. Woods’ attorneys immediately filed a petition with the state Supreme Court asking for a stay. "It’s just another procedural step," prosecutor Steve Tucker said after the hearing. It could take another seven years to carry out the sentence, Tucker said.

Absentees oust council member: A mandatory recount has cost Spokane’s first openly gay city council member his seat. Dean Lynch lost the election to represent the city’s south side to attorney Dennis Hession by 49 votes after a recount on Tuesday. Hession had 8,160 votes to 8,111 for Lynch.

Blaine

Border fast lane: A high-speed lane using high-tech identification systems could be ready fairly soon for commuters who cross the U.S.-Canadian border regularly, an Immigration and Naturalization Service official said. But Ron Hays, INS deputy district director, said Tuesday he had no idea whether the lane could operate while the border is at the highest alert, called Threat Level 1. Although traffic has dropped by half since Sept. 11, motorists entering the United States are facing waits of an hour or more on weekends. Thanksgiving weekend waits were several hours.

Olympia

Appeals judge appointed: Gov. Gary Locke has elevated King County Superior Court Judge Ann Schindler to the state Court of Appeals, Division I. Schindler, who has served on the Superior Court for 10 years, replaces Appeals Judge Walter Webster, who is retiring after 17 years. She is a graduate of the University of San Francisco and has a law degree from the University of Washington. She will assume the new post on Jan. 1, at an annual salary of $125,236. She will have to stand for election next fall.

Port Townsend

Suspect to get new evaluation: The man accused in the 1992 stabbing death of a 15-year-old Quilcene girl will have a second mental evaluation at Western State Hospital in Lakewood. Robert Froehlich, 28, accused of killing Allison Tornensis, will undergo a 15-day evaluation for competency and mental disability. Jefferson County Superior Court Judge Tom Majhan ordered the new evaluation last week at the request of defense attorney Gerald Barnhart, who noted Froehlich was taking prescription medications during the initial exam earlier this year that might have affected the outcome.

Oregon

Stormy seas for crabbing: Dungeness crab season opens Saturday, but weather and disagreements about prices might delay the harvest. Crab fishermen and seafood buyers haven’t reached an agreement on price yet, and fishermen may choose not to work during negotiations as they did last year. Nick Furman of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission said stormy weather may keep the crab fleet from getting to sea to set their pots in advance of the season opener and may keep them in port even after the season begins.

From Herald news services