Judge Denies Raff Change of Venue
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Giants win Spring Fest is ON THE MARKET another one this weekend Guide to local real estate ..........Page A-6 ............Page A-3 ...................................Inside INSIDE Mendocino County’s World briefly The Ukiah local newspaper .......Page A-2 Tomorrow: Breezy and mostly sunny 7 58551 69301 0 FRIDAY June 1, 2007 50 cents tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 46 pages, Volume 149 Number 53 email: [email protected] Judge denies Raff change of venue By BEN BROWN The status of both the victim The Daily Journal Man accused of law office shooting to be tried here and the suspect also need to be Howard Eugene Raff will taken into account, Hamilton stand trial on charges of murder Raff’s attorney, Public population of 86,000 people, Hamilton said 13 articles said. in the shooting death of Virginia Defender Wes Hamilton, argued 15,000 of whom live in Ukiah. about the case have appeared in Larkin was a Mendocino Larkin, Mendocino County that Raff’s case met several of “It’s a small community,” The Ukiah Daily Journal, as County resident for 45 years Superior Court Judge Ronald the criteria necessary for the Hamilton said. well as a funeral notice for and had many friends and fami- Brown ruled at Raff’s change of trial to be moved to another He said the relatively small Larkin that was published for a ly in the area. venue hearing Thursday. county. size of the community needed to week and a large advertisement Raff also lived in Ukiah for a “I am not convinced that he Hamilton cited the size and be taken into account, given the that ran in the newspaper, solic- cannot receive a fair trial,” character of the county, noting amount of pretrial publicity iting help for Larkin’s family Raff Brown said. that Mendocino County has a Raff’s case has received. with her medical bills. See RAFF, Page A-12 GI MOMS’ WORK GOES ON 14-year-old’s lawyer says he may not be competent Judge orders mental evaluation of suspect in coast killing By BEN BROWN The Daily Journal Marcos Escareno, the 14-year-old charged with murder in February’s coastal shooting, may not be competent to stand trial, according to his attorney, Katharine Elliot. Based on his youth and lack of understanding, Elliot said she believes ‘I am, at this Escareno is not mentally competent to stand trial. “I am, at this point, point, declaring declaring a doubt as to his competency,” she said. a doubt as to his She cited the recent court decision in Timothy competency.’ J. v. Superior Court, which says a juvenile KATHARINE defendant does not need ELLIOT to show evidence of a murder “mental disease or defect” defendant’s in order to be declared attorney incompetent to stand trial on homicide charges. Mendocino County Superior Court Judge MacLeod Pappidas/The Daily Journal Clayton Brennan agreed to suspend criminal Tamara Levintza displays a photograph of her son, Spc. Mikhail “Misha” Green at her home near Willits. In the proceedings and ordered Escareno to be evalu- foreground, stacks of letters from children to soldiers stand ready to mail. ated by Dr. Kevin Kelly. Elliot said these kinds of evaluations usual- ly take up to four weeks to complete and asked that the competency hearing be scheduled for 8:30 a.m. June 29. Volunteer effort provides Escareno has not entered a plea to charges of murder in the death of 20-year-old Enoch Cruz, who was found shot to death Feb. 6 in his car in Garcia Court in Manchester. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office has soldiers with basic supplies declined to discuss a motive in this case, but it is known that Cruz was dating Escareno’s 22- Recent fund-raiser raises Vietnam/Legacy Vets Motorcycle Club exceeded anything we could have hoped year-old sister. and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1900, for,” he said. The case has been delayed six times for $13,500, but additional which last month held a spaghetti dinner The GI Moms was created in 2003 -- entry of plea due to difficulty getting evidence volunteers are needed fund-raiser that raised more than $13,500 right after the war began -- after a weekly from the Department of Justice lab in for the troops overseas. meeting hosted by the American Red By LAURA MCCUTCHEON Sacramento, and by March’s public attorneys’ “I would like to thank the entire Cross to offer support to people with strike, which slowed the business of the court The Daily Journal community,” said Derek Shawk, a relatives in the military fizzled out, due to for a week. the fact that the majority of the sons and member of both of the organizations Escareno is being charged as an adult in this ome of the neediest soldiers will daughters of those attending the meeting involved in the fund-raiser. “It was case and could face life imprisonment if con- be receiving care packages from overwhelming how much the community had come home. the GI Moms, thanks to a large came together from all different walks of victed. donation from the life to support this great cause. It far See GI MOMS, Page A-11 He is being held at Mendocino County S Juvenile Hall on a $500,000 bond. Ben Brown can be reached at [email protected]. PRESIDENT BUSH, DEMOCRATIC LEADERS BACK EFFORT Bipartisan immigration bill gains both support and resistance By FRANK DAVIES only big legislative initiative that has the active Untested system tech workers already here awaiting a green card, MediaNews Washington Bureau support of President Bush and many Democratic said Robert Hoffman, an Oracle lobbyist. “Many WASHINGTON -- As the U.S. Senate grap- leaders in Congress. At first glance, that would appear to help many would just go home or to another country with ples with a massive overhaul of the nation’s employers. But some business leaders said the different rules.” immigration rules, various groups in California Tech companies and other large employers are change would remove their ability to sponsor Asian-American and other immigrant groups are lobbying feverishly to change or defend parts working to change a proposal for future immi- individuals to fill specific jobs. They would have are worried that downgrading family reunifica- of a bipartisan bill that has drawn fire from the gration in the Senate bill that could make it hard- to look to a pool of workers, regulated by tion as a factor will make it more difficult for rel- right, left and center almost from the moment it er to bring in or keep skilled employees. The cur- Homeland Security in an untried system, instead atives to enter the country. was announced. rent system, based on family ties and employer of recruiting preferred job candidates. “Many groups are concerned about this, and But supporters of the Senate bill, who have sponsorship, would be replaced by a complicated The change “would make it harder to match I’m hearing from them,” said Rep. Mike Honda, defeated several crippling amendments, have a point system that would give more weight to edu- immigrants with employer needs,” and could lead powerful dynamic behind their efforts. It’s the cation and skills. to more frustration and delays for foreign-born See BILL, Page A-11 A-2 – FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2007 DAILY DIGEST Editor: Jody Martinez, 468-3517 The Ukiah Daily Journal [email protected] FUNERAL NOTICES The world briefly [\ to graduate college, but it was finally done. Also in ’55 he became 17 and could join the Naval Reserve. Many of you reading this obit have heard the “Sea Stories” he told to the LESTER LEROY SACCHI point of screaming. Suffice to say he served on one pre- Plans for new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Passed from our sight May nuclear submarine and two Fletcher Class Destroyers. turn up online in security breach 26th, 2007. He has rejoined his After 50 years all the memories are wonderful and the wife; Delphene, his parents and crummy other ones can’t be dug up. Lets keep it that way. WASHINGTON (AP) — Detailed plans for the new U.S. many other loved ones. In 2003 Larry was diagnosed with COPD. Only during Embassy under construction in Baghdad appeared online Les is survived by his brothers the past six months did it cause any really great problems Thursday in a breach of the tight security surrounding the sen- James Sacch of Ukiah, and Jerry and discomfort. All the family and my old friend John who sitive project. Sacchi (with his wife Ver- got overlooked have been there any time they were Computer-generated projections of the soon-to-be complet- na) of Novato, CA. Also survived needed. I did notice the lapse into first person all of you ed, heavily fortified compound were posted on the Web site of by his daughters Leslie Sacchi of hawkeyed folk who have occasion to read this have seen. In the Kansas City, Mo.-based architectural firm that was con- Brandon, England and LeeAnn the mid 90s there was a great effort to locate an old friend tracted to design the massive facility in the Iraqi capital. Sacchi (with her husband Doug from the past, and after much ado, the man was located by The images were removed by Berger Devine Yaeger Inc. Lofftus) of Santa Rosa, CA. using a high tech device called a phone book. An addition- shortly after the company was contacted by the State Born April 23, 1934, Les lived al 10 years of fun conversations was the reward.