PORT TOWNSEND — A candidate for Jefferson County prosecuting attorney cast doubts Monday on the outcome of a case that has been touted as one of his opponents most significant recent accomplishments as deputy prosecutor.
“I do have some severe doubts about the outcome of the Pierce trial,” Paul Richmond said at a candidate forum before the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce.
“Whenever there is a horrible crime, there is a rush to judgment and a desire to hold someone responsible.”
In May, Michael J. Pierce received the maximum sentence of life in prison for killing Pat and Janice Yarr before burning their home down north of Lake Leland in March 2009.
Richmond’s election opponent, Deputy Criminal Prosecutor Scott Rosekrans, led the prosecution team and announced his candidacy to succeed the retiring Juelie Dalzell just after the Pierce verdict was announced.
Richmond said does not think that Pierce was innocent of the crimes, only that there may be more to the case than what emerged at trial.
He cited the misinterpretation among jurors of some of the witness testimony.
“There are a lot of things that disturb me about the trial,” Richmond said.
“There was the fact that he was convicted on the basis of misheard testimony, and that he was a loser who had never been able to pull off a substantial crime by himself.
“He was always dragged into these minor crimes, which made him a perfect patsy,” he said.
Rosekrans disagreed, saying there is “no doubt” that Pierce was guilty.
“There was no stone unturned in that case,” Rosekrans said.
“They put on a hell of a defense and we did a pretty good prosecution, but in the end there will always be winners and losers.
Rosekrans said that everything was done by the book.
“Everyone did their job, and every bit of evidence was preserved and properly dealt with before it was turned over to the family,” he said.
The two candidates have participated in several joint forums, leading up to the Nov. 2 all-mail election, for which ballots will be distributed starting Oct. 13.
Aside from the Pierce reference, Monday’s gathering in front of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce was typical of their past meetings.
Richmond said he thought that youth do not get a fair shake in the criminal justice system.
“In Port Townsend, kids are in of two places, the Boiler Room and juvenile hall,” he said.
Rosekrans touted his 35 years of law enforcement experience, beginning as a policeman and working as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney before being hired as Dalzell’s deputy in 2008.
Richmond said the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has the most control over the budget of any office, because it can choose which cases to pursue and settle trials that would otherwise cost a lot of money.
“With regard to the budget, this is the most important race you will vote on this year,” he said.
Rosekrans said he seeks to continue the tradition of the office under Dalzell.
“I have been in law enforcement for 35 years, and everywhere I have lived I have tried to make a better place,” he said.
“I have been able to work with Julie over the past 27 months to do that same thing here, and I will continue to make sure that Jefferson County is safe and we remove those people who aren’t cooperating.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
