OLYMPIA — Washington’s Supreme Court is weighing whether King County prosecutors can seek the death penalty against a man accused of killing a Seattle police officer.
Christopher Monfort is accused of shooting Seattle police Officer Tim Brenton in 2009 on Halloween night, wounding another officer that night and setting fires to police cars earlier in the month. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges of aggravated murder, attempted murder and arson.
A King County Superior Court judge barred Prosecutor Dan Satterberg from seeking the death penalty, saying he failed to consider enough mitigating evidence. Satterberg’s office appealed, and in arguments Thursday, attorney Deborah Dwyer told the high court that the Legislature deliberately rested the decision on whether to seek the death penalty with elected prosecutors — not with the courts.
A lawyer for Monfort, Suzanne Elliott, argued that the lower court judge did not abuse his discretion.
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