EPHRATA – A teenager accused of murdering a playmate more than three years ago stuck to his story Wednesday when he took the stand in his own defense, saying he left the victim injured on the ground after a fall from a tree and never attacked him.
Evan Savoie, now 15 but just 12 years old at the time of the killing, is among the youngest murder defendants in the state ever to be tried as an adult. He is accused of the Feb. 15, 2003, slaying of 13-year-old Craig Sorger, a developmentally disabled boy who was found beaten and stabbed to death in a recreational vehicle park in this central Washington community.
Another playmate, Jake Eakin, already has testified against Savoie. Eakin previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder by complicity and is serving 14 years.
The defense claims someone else must have killed Sorger.
Families of all three boys were in court Wednesday. The defense rested shortly after Savoie’s testimony, and closing arguments were scheduled Thursday. If convicted, Savoie faces more than 20 years in prison.
Savoie testified for more than two hours in Grant County Superior Court, describing how he left Sorger injured on the trail after a fall from a tree. Savoie said he checked for a pulse, but found nothing, and left without seeking help. But he did not beat him, he said without emotion.
“I can’t say why. I can’t explain it,” Savoie said when asked why he didn’t call for help, noting that he had ample time and many opportunities. Looking back, he said he feels bad.
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