BELLINGHAM — A former Bellingham man charged with killing his wife 18 years ago has pleaded not guilty in Whatcom County Superior Court.
Bruce A. Hummel was recently brought to the county from a prison in Minnesota, where he was serving a federal sentence for cashing her disability payments after her death. He entered the plea Friday, The Bellingham Herald reported.
Alice Hummel was last seen in October 1990, and no trace of her has ever been found. For years, her husband lied about what happened to her — saying she had run off, and sending his children letters and gifts purporting to be from her. Only after investigators questioned him in 2004 did he acknowledge his wife was dead. He wrote Bellingham police a rambling, implausible letter claiming she committed suicide and that he dumped her body in Bellingham Bay.
After that, he fled to Westport, a small fishing town on the coast. Detectives tracked him down when he registered his van to a post-office box there. He was charged in July with first-degree murder; prosecutors allege his wife disappeared when she confronted him about molesting their daughter.
Hummel’s trial is set to begin Nov. 24, but that likely will be delayed, said Hummel’s attorney, Whatcom County public defender Jon Komorowski. He said his office will need more time, possibly more than three months, to review evidence.
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