Grays Harbor District Court Judge Kyle Imler ordered accused murderer Kirsten Alice O’Hara held on $1 million bail in O’Hara’s first court appearance since she was arrested Monday for allegedly beating and stabbing to death her neighbor, 95-year old Hoquiam resident Robert Harmon.
O’Hara sat calmly during the hearing, with her grandmother and mother in the gallery behind her as Judge Imler explained she was being held for first degree murder, punishable by life imprisonment, explaining that Prosecutor Katie Svoboda was adding the special circumstances of using a deadly weapon and attacking a vulnerable elderly man who was unable to defend himself.
When asking for $1 million bail, Svoboda said, “This was an especially vulnerable victim. She not only killed him, she disposed of the evidence, committed burglary and covered her tracks.” Svoboda further asked that if O’Hara did make bail she not be allowed to see her minor daughter “because we have reason to believe the child was a witness to the disposal of the evidence by her mother and she may possibly be a witness to the crime.” Svoboda said she believed investigators will be interviewing the child in the next few days.
Attorneys from Tascher and Associates of Shelton represented O’Hara, and asked Judge Imler to consider reducing the bail amount to $250,000, noting the lack of a previous criminal record for O’Hara and pointing out family members in the gallery, which they said proved she has ties to the community and made her less of a flight risk.
“Would any of those family members be willing to take her in, supervise her if released?” asked Svoboda. O’Hara’s attorneys said they had not had a chance to talk to the relatives yet. Judge Imler set the bail at $1 million, adding that the amount and conditions of release could be altered after meeting with O’Hara’s family. Immediately after the hearing, Svoboda and Hoquiam Police Chief Jeff Myers met with O’Hara’s grandmother and mother in a room across from the courtroom, though what specifically was talked about was not made public.
Judge Imler set O’Hara’s next court appearance for Aug. 8 at 1 p.m.
According to court documents filed by Svoboda Tuesday, when officers arrived at the scene Sunday and found Harmon dead they noticed the home appeared to have been ransacked. It was apparent there had been a tremendous struggle in the home and Harmon had many defense wounds on his hands.
When O’Hara, a neighbor, was questioned by police she gave differing stories as to the series of events, but eventually admitted that after she and Harmon argued she had left, then returned later with the intent to kill him. The argument, she told investigators, was over the theft of several checks O’Hara had taken from Harmon. According to court papers, she told investigators she entered the victim’s house and killed him with a large flashlight and a small knife she found on Harmon’s countertop. Later she led investigators to the Bear Gulch area of the Wishkah River just north of Aberdeen and pointed out where she had dumped the flashlight, knife and other evidence.
(Dan Hammock | The Daily World) Kirsten Alice O’Hara, 30, of Hoquiam is led out of her first court appearance Tuesday afternoon. She is accused of stabbing and beating her 95-year old neighbor to death Sunday and is being held in the Grays Harbor County Jail on $1 million bail.
