Four open first-degree murder cases are awaiting trial in Grays Harbor County, plus a manslaughter case, which is unprecedented in Katie Svoboda’s experience as a county prosecutor.
“I’ve been working in this office for almost 14 years and I can’t remember ever having four open first-degree murder cases, and the serious manslaughter charge,” she said.
Svoboda became a deputy prosecutor in 2004 and was sworn in to her current position in November 2014.
First-degree murder cases can take more than a year to get to trial, depending on the circumstances surrounding each offense, she said. When asked if the large number of continuances in all four cases was normal, she said: “It is pretty typical, but it also depends on the case — what kind of defense is being asserted, how complex it is, if there has to be testing done. There are a lot of things out of our control that can add to the time it takes.”
Since these cases are still open, Svoboda can’t specifically discuss any of them, but court reports give these details:
State vs. Jacob Loyd Eveland
Eveland was arrested June 7, 2016, for allegedly shooting and stabbing to death Roy N. Jones, 45, of Elma, after investigators responded to reports of gunshots and a fire at his Elma home. Eveland, 36, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity at his arraignment July 11, 2016, and he remains in the Grays Harbor County Jail on $1 million bondable bail. Though this case was originally scheduled for trial for Aug. 30 of last year, several continuances have been issued. His next day in court is scheduled for Sept. 9, with a pretrial conference scheduled for Sept. 25.
State vs. Shana Hope Soliz
Soliz, 45, of Hoquiam, entered a not guilty plea in Grays Harbor Superior Court on Feb. 28. She is accused of stabbing Paul Mottinger, 59, outside the home they shared in Hoquiam in late November 2016. Mottinger later died from his injuries, which investigators said were inflicted by Soliz with a hunting knife in an attack that began inside the residence and continued into the street. Soliz surrendered after an hours-long standoff with police. A competency evaluation found she was competent to stand trial. Prosecutors had hoped to try Soliz in August. A pretrial hearing was held July 10, but a trial date of Aug. 8 was stricken. She remains in custody on $500,000 bond.
State vs. James Donald Walker
Walker was arrested May 31 after allegedly running over two young men on a gravel bar on Donkey Creek over Memorial Day weekend. One of the young men, a father of two and member of the Quinault Indian Nation, later died from his injuries. According to investigators, Walker went to some lengths to conceal evidence that could tie him to the incident, which was found by police just a few days later. According to Svoboda, his trial date is set for Dec. 12. He is still in custody on $200,000 bond, charged with vehicular assault, hit-and-run injury or death, and first-degree manslaughter.
State vs. Chandler Ryan Meade
Meade is accused of shooting to death Lael Hyvonen, the mother of his two children, in a Hoquiam residence on Perry Avenue on June 10. At his initial court appearance June 12, Svoboda said her office was checking into evidence of a long history of domestic violence between the couple, both age 25. Meade was scheduled to go to trial Sept. 19, but Svoboda has asked for a continuance, so Svoboda said that date will likely move back as evidence is processed. Meade is being held on a $1 million bond.
State vs. Kirsten Alice O’Hara
O’Hara, 30, of Hoquiam, made her initial court appearance July 11, accused of murdering her neighbor, 95-year-old Robert Harmon, who was found stabbed and bludgeoned to death in his home in the 400 block of Center Street on July 9. Relatives of Harmon called investigators, who checked on him after repeated calls to the home were met with a busy signal. Harmon had been stabbed repeatedly in the head and neck, according to his autopsy. O’Hara, a neighbor, was arrested shortly afterward and, according to court documents, led investigators to the evidence they say she dumped in the Bear Gulch area of the Wishkah River north of Aberdeen. She remains in the Grays Harbor County Jail on $1 million bond, and her trial is scheduled for Dec. 12.
Svoboda said neither O’Hara nor Meade has been given a psychological evaluation.
The Prosecutor’s Office is also investigating a shooting incident in Aberdeen that occurred in the 1800 block of Pacific Avenue early in the morning of Aug. 16 involving two brothers. “That suspect has been charged with third-degree assault,” said Svoboda.
Aberdeen Police Lt. Kevin Darst identified the suspect as Lloyd S. Nunez, 19. He is accused of shooting his brother, but the investigation is ongoing and Darst doesn’t expect to have any new details about the circumstances surrounding the case for several weeks as evidence is analyzed.
