Deborah Sue Gordon
Terry Leroy Collins was born July 27, 1952, in Unknown. He is the son of Unknown.
Deborah Sue "Susie" Gordon was born April 22, 1952, in Charleston, Coles Co., IL, and died due to being stabbed to death by a hired man, Les McVay, June 2, 1988, in Tacoma, Pierce Co., WA, at age 36. Buried in Woodbine Cemetery, Puyallup, Pierce Co., WA. She is the daughter of Henry Ellsworth "Hank" Gordon of Illinois, and Marjorie Maxine (McWilliams) Gordon of Charleston, Charleston Twp., Coles Co., IL. She is the adopted daughter of Elmer Freeman Cloe Jr. of (born December 17, 1917, in Danville, Vermilion Co., IL; died December 17, 1982, in Yucca Valley, San Bernardino Co., CA), and Marjorie Joan Bloese (born July 2, 1931, in Chicago, Cook Co., IL; died October 7, 2000, in Yucca Valley, San Bernardino Co., CA). Siblings Edward, William, Elmer, Marie and Ernest Cloe were all orphans living at the Illinois Soldiers' Orphans' Home, Normal, Normal Twp., Mc Lean Co., IL, in 1930. Elmer and Ernest Eugene Cloe, (born October 27, 1922, in Danville, Vermillion Co., IL; died November 23, 1989, in Riverside Co., CA), and Marjorie Louise (Tanner) Williams (born May 4, 1922, of Coles Co., IL; died August 26, 2009, in Yucca Valley, San Bernardino Co., CA). Adopted in California by the Cloe family. Lived at 8010 27th, University Place, WA, in 1988. Lived at 3409 Durango, Tacoma, WA, in Aug, 1986.
Terry Leroy Collins and Deborah Sue "Susie" Gordon/Cloe received a marriage license in Pierce Co., WA, and were married June 14, 1971, in King Co., WA.
Terry Leroy Collins and Deborah Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) Collins had one child:
Terry Leroy Collins and Deborah Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) Collins were divorced about 1973 in Unknown.
Debra Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) Collins then married Harry Lee Sharp Jr.
Harry Lee Sharp Jr. was born April 25, 1945, in Seattle, King Co., WA.
Janice Eileen Williams was born about 1950 in Spokane Co., WA.
Harry Lee Sharp Jr. and Janice Eileen Williams were married September 22, 1967, in Seattle, King Co., WA.
Harry Lee Sharp Jr. and Janice Eileen (Williams) Sharp were divorced November 30, 1973, in Pierce Co., WA.
Harry Lee Sharp Jr. and Deborah Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) Collins were married about 1973 in Unknown.
Harry Lee Sharp Jr. and Debora Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) (Collins) Sharp were divorced January 13, 1975, in Pierce Co., WA.
Harry Lee Sharp Jr. then married Sonya Elaine Webster.
Sonya Elaine Webster was born November 6, 1955, in Jacksonville, IL.
Harry Lee Sharp Jr. and Sonya E. Webster were married July 17, 1976, in Thurston Co., WA.
Harry Lee Sharp Jr. and Sonya E. (Webster) Sharp were divorced August 4, 1988, in Pierce Co., WA.
Terry Leroy Collins then married Kathleen Joyce Kremer.
Kathleen Joyce Kremer was born about 1952 in Puyallup, Pierce Co., WA.
Terry Leroy Collins and Kathleen Joyce Kremer were married September 28, 1974, in Pierce Co., WA.
Terry Leroy Collins and Kathleen Joyce (Kremer) Collins had one child:
Terry Leroy Collins and Kathleen Joyce (Kremer) Collins were divorced May 21, 1979, in Pierce Co., WA.
After her divorce, Kathleen Joyce (Kremer) Collins married Richard Masao Nakagaki.
Richard Masao Nakagaki was born about 1954 in Honolulu, HI.
Richard Masao Nakagaki and Kathleen Joyce (Kremer) Collins were married June 29, 1985, in King Co., WA.
Terry Leroy Collins lived at University Place, WA, in 2000. Wayne Russell Collins (born October 7, 1953) and Cheryl Jean Talkington (born January 12, 1960, in Glendale, Los Angeles Co., CA) were married April 4, 1984, in Pierce Co., WA. Wayne and Cheryl were divorced January 6, 1989, in King Co., WA. Wayne Russell Collins and Pattie Gail (Love) (Whitson) Schlick were married December 4, 2001, in Pierce Co., WA. Paula J. Collins; Justin Russell Collins https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.talkington.3
Harry Lee Sharp Jr. and Deborah Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) (Collins) Sharp were divorced January 13, 1975, in Pierce Co., WA.
Deborah Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) (Collins) Sharp then married Peter Otis "Pete" Manter.
Peter Otis "Pete" Manter was born July 10, 1952, in Unknown.
Peter Otis "Pete" Manter and Deborah Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) (Collins) Sharp were married June, 1976, in Spokane, Spokane Co., WA.
Peter Otis "Pete" Manter and Deborah Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) (Collins) (Sharp) Manter had no children.
Peter Otis "Pete" Manter and Deborah Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) (Collins) (Sharp) Manter were divorced January, 1978, in Spokane, Spokane Co., WA.
Deborah Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) (Collins) (Sharp) Manter then married then married Leslie B. "Les" Schlotterbeck.
Leslie B. "Les" Schlotterbeck was born August 21, 1943, in Unknown.
Leslie B. "Les" Schlotterbeck and Deborah Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) (Collins) (Sharp) Manter were married Unknown.
Leslie B. "Les" Schlotterbeck and Deborah Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) (Collins) (Sharp) (Manter) Schlotterbeck had no children.
After her divorce, Deborah Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) (Collins) (Sharp) (Manter) Schlotterbeck changed her name to D'lorah Sushanna "Susie" Kron when she had a relationship with Thomas Faulk Kron.
Thomas Faulk Kron was born July 20, 1947, in Sacramento, Sacramento Co., CA. He is the son of Edwin Joseph Faulk/Kron of Lincoln Co., SD, and Katherine "Kay" (Rhinehart) Zanini of Gridley, Butte Co., CA.
Marsha L. Spencer was born November 5, 1950, in Unknown.
Thomas Faulk Kron and Marsha L. Spencer were married October 23, 1970, in Pierce Co., WA.
Thomas Faulk Kron and Marsha L. (Spencer) Kron were divorced June 22, 1972, in Pierce Co., WA.
Donnie R. Turney was born March 1, 1948, in Unknown.
Donnie R. Turney and Marsha L. (Spencer) Kron were married November 10, 1973, in Pierce Co., WA.
Donnie R. Turney and Marsha L. (Spencer) (Kron) Turney had two children.
Donnie R. Turney and Marsha L. (Spencer) (Kron) Turney were divorced November 20, 1981, in King Co., WA.
Victoria Marie Davidson was born May 25, 1952, in Denver, Denver Co., CO, and died November 25, 2010, in Denver, Denver Co., CO, at age 58.
Donnie R. Turney and Victoria Marie Davidson were married November 22, 1982, in San Francisco Co., CA.
Donnie R. Turney and Victoria Marie (Davidson) Turney were divorced Unknown.
James R. Demotta was born March 4, 1952, in Unknown.
James R. Demotta and Judith A. (Unknown) Demotta were divorced June 22, 1982, in Thurston Co., WA.
James R. Demotta and Marsha L. (Spencer) (Kron) Turney were married September 15, 1984, in Pierce Co., WA.
James R. Demotta and Marsha L. (Spencer) (Kron) (Turney) Demotta had Unknown children.
Thomas Faulk Kron then married Wanda Elaine (Ervig) (McVay) Brooks.
Wanda Elaine Ervig was born September 20, 1945, in Everett, Snohomish Co., WA.
Unknown McVay and Wanda Elaine Ervig were married Unknown.
Albie Eugene Brooks was born December 27, 1938, in Ft. Scott Co., KS, and died January 29, 2016, in Puyallup, Pierce Co., WA, at age 77. Buried in Sumner Cemetery, Sumner, Pierce Co., WA.
Albie Eugene Brooks and Wanda Elaine (Ervig) McVay were married Unknown.
Albie Eugene Brooks and Wanda Elaine (Ervig) (McVay) Brooks had Unknown children.
Albie Eugene Brooks and Wanda Elaine (Ervig) (McVay) Brooks were divorced December 19, 1972, in Pierce Co., WA.
Thomas Faulk Kron and Wanda Elaine (Ervig) (McVay) Brooks were married June 20, 1969, in Snohomish Co., WA..
Thomas Faulk Kron and Wanda Elaine (Ervig) (McVay) (Brooks) Kron were divorced June 3, 1981, in Pierce Co., WA.
Thomas Faulk Kron and Ruth Ann (Wescott) (Mechtley) Kinzer were married August 11, 1983, in Pierce Co., WA.
Thomas Faulk Kron and Ruth Ann (Wescott) (Mechtley) (Kinzer) Kron were divorced July 17, 1984, in Pierce Co., WA.
Ronald Ray Kinzer was born May 24, 1954, in Unknown.
Ruth Ann Wescott was born March 28, 1955, in Unknown.
Ronald Ray Kinzer and Ruth Ann (Wescott) Mechtley were married October 5, 1976, in Pierce Co., WA.
Ronald Ray Kinzer and Ruth Ann (Wescott) (Mechtley) Kinzer had nine children.
Ronald Ray Kinzer and Ruth Ann (Wescott) (Mechtley) Kinzer were divorced January 23, 1979, in Pierce Co., WA.
Larry W. Wecker was born August 25, 1949, in Unknown.
Doreen L. Ransom was born November 9, 1952, in Unknown.
Larry W. Wecker and Doreen L. Ransom were married March 26, 1971, in Pierce Co., WA.
Larry W. Wecker and Doreen L. (Ransom) Weckler had Unknown children.
Larry W. Wecker and Doreen L. (Ransom) Weckler were divorced December 30, 1982, in Pierce Co., WA.
Ruth Ann (Wescott) (Mechtley) (Kinzer) Kron then married Larry W. Wecker.
Larry W. Wecker and Ruth Ann (Wescott) (Mechtley) (Kinzer) Kron were married August 17, 1984, in Pierce Co., WA
Lyal Kieth Schlotterbeck was born July 2, 1952, in Washington.
Thomas Faulk Kron and Deborah Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) (Collins) (Sharp) (Manter) Schlotterbeck lived together, but were not married. They had one child:
Lyal Kieth Schlotterbeck and Susan Olinette Suttle were married July 7, 1984, in Tacoma, Pierce Co., WA.
Lyal Kieth Schlotterbeck and Deborah Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) (Collins) (Sharp) (Manter) Schlotterbeck had a child out of wedlock:
Ronald Ray Kinzer and Christina May Christopher were married August 16, 1996, in King Co., WA.
Wanda Elaine (Ervig) (McVay) (Brooks) Kron then married Reuben Eugene "Gene" Lobb.
Reuben Eugene "Gene" Lobb was born September 20, 1942, in Unknown.
Reuben Eugene "Gene" Lobb and Wanda Elaine (Ervig) (McVay) (Brooks) Kron were married June 20, 1969, in Cuennt, Snohomish Co., WA.
Reuben Eugene "Gene" Lobb and Wanda Elaine (Ervig) (McVay) (Brooks) (Kron) Robb were divorced June, 2016, in Snohomish Co., WA.
Les McVay, his uncle, Jim McVay and Jim's girlfriend, Donna S. (Cochran) Britton (born October 8, 1959). Donna was divorced from Terry Duane Britton September 25, 1987, in Pierce Co., WA. Terry Britton then married November 2, 1987, in Pierce Co., WA, to Julie Ann Laws: Born May 14, 1966, in Tucson, Pima Co., AZ; Died June 10, 1992, in Puyallup, Pierce Co., WA (age 26).
Thomas Faulk Kron, Jr.: Born February 12, 1976, in Washington. Married April 24, 2004, in Las Vegas, Clark Co., NV, to Amy Diane (Unknown) (Novotny) Watts: Born February 14, 1976, in Unknown. First married to Brian John Novotny. David J. Watts: Born November 11, 1975, in Unknown.
TIMELINE
Edwin Joseph Faulk Kron is buried in Woodbine Cemetery, Puyallup, Pierce Co., WA. Thanks to Find-A-Grave for making this image available.
Deborah Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) (Collins) (Sharp) (Manter) Schlotterbeck, a.k.a. (Dlorah Sushanna "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) Kron, is buried in Woodbine Cemetery, Puyallup, Pierce Co., WA. Thanks to Find-A-Grave for making this image available.
Jason John Collins is buried in Woodbine Cemetery, Puyallup, Pierce Co., WA. Thanks to Find-A-Grave for making this image available.
Albie Eugene Brooks was born December 27, 1938, in Ft. Scott Co., KS.
The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, Sacramento Co., CA, Saturday, September 18, 1943
Bride Elect Is Honored
Mrs. Joseph Gratton was host to a group of friends in her home at 1030 Jackson Street in honor of Mrs. Kay Zanini of Sacramento, who is to become the bride of Edwin J. Kron, also of Sacramento, September 26th. Those present included: Mesdames Zanini, Leroy Eller, Ima Wilson, George Campbell, E. L. Kerr, George Growney, J. L. Croshaw and Misses Margaret Burdick, Eleanor Croshaw and Geneva Gratton. Mrs. Zanini was a beauty parlor operator here for several years. She is employed at McClellan Field, where her fiance is a mechanical instructor.
Edwin Joseph Faulk/Kron and Kathryn "Kay" (Rhinehart) Zanini were married September 26, 1943, in the Rio Linda Community Church parsonage, Rio Linda, Sacramento Co., CA.
The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, Sacramento Co., CA, Saturday, October 2, 1943
Gridley Woman Weds
GRIDLEY (Butte Co.), Oct. 2 - Mrs. Kathrine Zanini, former Gridley woman, Sunday morning became the bride of Edward Joseph Kron of Rio Linda in a quiet ceremony in the Rio Linda Community Church parsonage. In the afternoon the newlyweds came to Gridley to spend the rest of the day with Mrs. Kron's mother, Mrs. L. A. Rhinehart. The bride has been an employe at McClennan Field the last year and Kron is a crew chief at the depot. They will make their home in the Rio Linda district.
Thomas Faulk Kron was born July 20, 1947, in Sacramento, Sacramento Co., CA.
Debora Sue "Susie" Gordon was born April 22, 1952, in Charleston, Coles Co., IL. She was later adopted.
Victoria Marie Davidson was born May 25, 1952, in Denver, Denver Co., CO.
Marjorie Gordon was granter a divorce from Henry Gordon in June, 1952, in Coles Co., IL. She was awarded the custody of minor children. Gordon was ordered to pay $20 a week support
The Daily Journal-Gazette and Commercial-Star, Mattoon, Coles Co., IL, Monday, June 16, 1952
Divorces Granted Special to The Journal-Gazette
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Three divorces were granted in Coles county Circuit Court Saturday by Judge Ben F. Anderson. All plaintiffs charged desertion. R. W. Gilmore was granted a divorce from Ann Gilmore. Billy Prather received a divorce from Lois Imogene Prather. She received custody of a minor child. Marjorie Gordon was granter a divorce from Henry Gordon. She was awarded the custody of minor children. Gordon was ordered to pay $20 a week support
Terry Leroy Collins was born July 27, 1952, in Unknown.
William Raymond Zanini died April 16, 1959, near Loomis, Placer Co., CA, at age 23.
The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, Sacramento Co., CA, Monday, April 20, 1959
DEATHS
ZANINI - Near Loomis, Placer County, April 16, 1959, William Raymond Zanini, son of Mrs. Ed Kron of Puyallup, Wash., and Henry Zanini of Mendocino County, grandson of Mrs. Minnie Zanini Bartani of Sacramento; aged 23 years. Services will be held at 10 AM tomorrow in the Gridley, Butte County, Funeral Chapel.
Edwin Joseph Kron Jr. died May 14, 1966, due to a motorcycle accident near Wenden, Yuma Co., AZ, at age 19. Buried in Woodbine Cemetery, Puyallup, Pierce Co., WA.
Edwin Joseph Kron Jr. Death Record.
Reuben E. Lobb and Wanda Elaine (Ervig) Kron were married June 20, 1969, in Snohomish Co., WA.
Reuben E. Lobb and Wanda Elaine (Ervig) Kron Marriage Record.
Terry Leroy Collins and Debra S. "Susie" Gordon/Cloe were married June 14, 1971, in King Co., WA, having received a marriage license in Pierce Co., WA.
Jason John Collins was born January 20, 1972, in La Mirada, Los Angeles Co., CA.
Terry Leroy Collins and Debra S. "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) Collins were divorced about 1974 in Unknown.
Lyal Kieth Schlotterbeck and Susan Olinette Suttle Marriage Record.
Paula Jeanne Collins was born in Washington.
Paula Jeanne Collins.
Richard Masao Nakagaki and Kathleen Joyce (Kremer) Collins Marriage Record.
Jason John Collins. Pictures courtesy of his father, Terry Leroy Collins.
Jason John Collins died December 27, 1987, due to drowning, in Tapps Lake, Pierce Co., WA, at age 15. Buried in Woodbine Cemetery, Puyallup, Pierce Co., WA.
D'lorah Sushanna "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) (Kron) Collins.
Deborah Sue "Susie" (Gordon/Cloe) (Collins) (Sharp) (Manter) Schlotterbeck/D'lorah Sushanna "Susie" (Cloe) (Kron) Collins died June 2, 1988, in Tacoma, Pierce Co., WA, at age 36. Buried in Woodbine Cemetery, Puyallup, Pierce Co., WA.
The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, Walla Walla, Walla Walla Co., WA, Sunday, June 5, 1988
Happy day turns into tragedy
By The Seattle Times
FIRCREST, Wash. - Friday should have been a happy day for Dlorah Kron. She had big plans - a wedding in California among members of her adopted family, the Krons. Dlorah Kron made all the preparations on Thursday. She bought some new clothes in Puyallup, notified a friend that she'd be leaving and began packing. But late Thursday night or early Friday morning, possibly just after she'd unlocked the trunk of her new Toyota Corolla and prepared to load her suitcases, she was brutally killed. Pierce County police detectives had difficulty piecing together what might have happened. Kron, 35, was found in her bed early Friday morning, and her two toddlers, 4-year-old Jeramine and 2-year-old Amberjina, had been savagely beaten. The children were in critical condition at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma. Both suffered severe head and neck injuries; the prognosis isn't good. Neither had regained consciousness from the time police arrived at Kron's modest home along the fringes of Fircrest, a small city west of Tacoma. They'd been notified by Kron's boyfriend, who had driven by Friday morning and noticed all the lights were on. He suspected foul play and called 9-1-1. Police detectives entered Kron's home, found the victims but noted no signs of a break-in or struggle. One of the children lay near the front door; the other was found in the front room. Both were still wore their pajamas. A kitten and a dog, who sometimes responded to the doorbell because Kron was nearly deaf, escaped without injury. Police found no weapons and few clues in the house, other than an address book with the names of dozens of friends. By Friday night, officers were calling every name on the list. Some of those friends and acquaintances said Kron had suffered many hardships in the past few years. Margo Haas, co-owner of Kron's home, said her tenant was one of those people whom "you can just tell they've really had some hard knocks in life." Most traumatic was the death of Kron's eldest son, Jason, who drowned in Lake Tapps last year. Kron's life revolved around her children, and the blow was hard to take, Haas said.
Leigh Larson note: Margo Haas is Margo Diane (Gehauf) (Haas) Klein. Margo married (1) to John A. Cerny: Born Unknown. Divorced November 2, 1978, in Pierce Co., WA. Married (2) January 6, 1984, in Pierce Co., WA, to Robert Allen Haas: Born Unknown. Divorced June 15, 1995, in Pierce Co., WA. Married (3) July 4, 2000, in Pierce Co., WA, to Ronald Scott Klein.
https://www.mylife.com/margaret-klein/margohassklein
Margaret Klein is 64 years old and was born on 01/00/1954. Currently, she lives in Tacoma, WA; and previously lived in Seattle, WA. Sometimes Margaret goes by various nicknames including Margo D Klein, Margo D Hass-klein, Margo D Hass klein, Margo D Hass, Margo D Haas klein, Margo D Ghauf, Margo G Hass, Margo H Klein, Margo Hass Klein, Margaret A Gehauf, Margaret H Klein, Margo Hass, Margo Hass klein, Margo Hassklein, Margo D Gehauf, Margo D Haasklein, Margo D hass Klein. Her ethnicity is Caucasian, whose political affiliation is currently a registered Unaffiliated; and religious views are listed as Christian. Other family members and associates include Morgan Hass, Ronald Klein, Janice Plummer, Robert Hass and Margaret Gehauf. She has a reported annual income of 100 - 149,999 and a current net worth value of $250,000 - $499,999.
Mildred E. "Mimmie" (Anthon) (Walker) (Krause) Hutcherson died June 20, 1990, June 20, 1990, in Kailua, Island of Oahu, Honolulu Co., HI, while living with a daughter, at age 90.
The Honolulu Advertiser, Honolulu, Honolulu Co., HI, Friday, June 22, 1990
OBITUARIES
MILDRED KRAUSE, 90, of Kailua, Hawaii, died June 20, 1990. She was born in Utah and was a member of the Senior Citizen's Club of Kailua. Survived by son, Clyde Walker of California; daughter, Ruby Burkholder of Arizona; eight grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren. Private service. Arrangements by Borthwick Mortuary.
State v. Kron, 821 P.2d 1248 (Wash. Ct. App. 1992)
Court of Appeals of Washington
Filed: January 6th, 1992
Precedential Status: Precedential
Citations: 821 P.2d 1248, 63 Wash. App. 688
Docket Number: 12932-9-II
Judges: Worswick
63 Wash. App. 688 (1992)
821 P.2d 1248
THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, Respondent, v. THOMAS FAULK KRON, Appellant.
No. 12932-9-II.
The Court of Appeals of Washington, Division Two.
January 6, 1992.
David W. Murdach and James W. Burdue, for appellant (appointed counsel for appeal).
John W. Ladenburg, Prosecuting Attorney, and Barbara L. Corey-Boulet and Michael R. Johnson, Deputies, and John M. Neeb, Legal Intern, for respondent.
*691 WORSWICK, J.[*]
Thomas Faulk Kron appeals his conviction by a Pierce County jury for aggravated first degree murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated first degree murder, and two counts of first degree assault. The State asked for the death penalty, but the jury decided on a life sentence without parole. Kron raises nearly two dozen issues on appeal, but there was no reversible error and we affirm.
FACTS
The victims were Tom Kron's former girl friend, Dlorah "Susie" Kron, who was stabbed to death, and her two children, a 4-year-old boy named Jeramaine and a 2-year-old girl named Amberjina, who were stabbed and beaten but recovered from their wounds. The State's theory was that Tom Kron solicited Les McVay, a convicted felon and close friend of Kron's, to execute the crimes. McVay was charged jointly with Kron, but his case was severed from Kron's and was tried first to the court sitting without a jury. A superior court judge found McVay guilty on all counts and imposed a sentence of life without parole, but sealed the penalty until Kron's trial was finished. Not even McVay knew what his sentence was.
The same judge also presided over Kron's jury trial. McVay testified as the State's witness to "clear [his] conscience". Kron had been adjudicated the father of Jeramaine and ordered to pay nearly $10,000 in child support arrearages, and his wages were being garnished to the tune of $500 a month. McVay testified that Kron asked him to kill Susie and the children in order to avoid the support obligation. He said that Kron threatened to kill Les and his family if he did not carry out the murder, but also testified that Kron offered compensation in the form of forgiving various debts McVay owed to Kron and sharing in a $1,500 accident settlement that Kron had received.
*692 Les McVay related the details of Kron's plan for the murder, including an alibi that placed Kron conspicuously in a restaurant soon afterward, supposedly waiting for Susie to pick him up. According to McVay, Kron gave him a knife (the murder weapon), a pair of surgical gloves, a .22 caliber pistol in case "things got out of hand", and a small bag in which McVay placed those items as well as a change of clothing. Kron arranged for Les's uncle, Jim McVay, and his girl friend, Donna Britton, to drive Les to Susie's neighborhood and wait while he carried out the crime, and instructed Les on a ruse to gain entrance to Susie's house. Kron also told Les to steal $700, which he expected to be in Susie's purse.
On the night of the murder, Kron waited in his apartment in Sumner while the others drove to Susie's neighborhood in University Place. When they arrived, Les told Jim why they had driven there and expressed reservations about killing the children. He testified that his Uncle Jim told him to "leave the children out of it". Les entered the house while Jim and Donna drove around the area. He described how he stabbed Susie to death and said that when the children saw what had happened to their mother, they began running around and screaming so he stabbed them and kicked them in the head to "shut them up".
After the murder, forgetting to rifle Susie's purse, Les went outside and got into Jim's car, and they left the scene. Les directed Jim to stop behind the Galaxy Restaurant, on Kron's instructions, to throw the knife, gloves, and bloody clothing into the Puyallup River. They returned to Kron's apartment, where Les reported to Kron that "everything was done", and shortly afterward they all drove to a nearby restaurant, KC's Caboose. Kron made a point at KC's of saying loudly, so the waitress could hear, that he was waiting for Susie to arrive, and later of pretending to call Susie to find out why she had not yet arrived.
Jim McVay's testimony essentially corroborated Les's account of their driving to Susie's house, Jim and Donna's waiting in the vicinity, and the trip back to Kron's with the *693 stop at the river to dispose of evidence. Jim assumed that he was taking Les to retrieve some drug money and professed ignorance of the real purpose of the trip until they arrived at Susie's. Jim testified that he and Les discussed the murder in the following days, and that Les stated at one point, Tom "owes [me] for life now". Jim and Donna Britton ultimately admitted what they knew to the police, and neither was charged.
Kron was convicted as Les McVay's accomplice (RCW 9A.08.020) and coconspirator (RCW 9A.28.040). His defense was that McVay was lying. He testified that he, Kron, never discussed killing Susie with McVay; instead, he arranged the transportation to University Place so that McVay could burglarize a real estate office near Susie's house, and was surprised and angry when McVay told him a few days later that he had killed Susie, thinking that he had done Kron a favor. The jury obviously did not believe this story; it convicted him on all counts. At sentencing, in addition to the sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole for aggravated first degree murder, RCW 10.95.030(1), Kron received lesser, concurrent sentences on the other counts.
SENTENCE OF LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE
Kron's primary argument is that he should not have received life without parole because such a sentence is unavailable under the Sentencing Reform Act of 1981 (SRA). He argues that RCW 10.95.020, which sets forth the various ways of committing aggravated first degree murder, does not create a separate crime or an element of first degree murder, but is a penalty enhancement statute. See State v. Kincaid, 103 Wash. 2d 304, 692 P.2d 823 (1985). If it is not a crime, he says, then the SRA improperly lists it as a seriousness level XIV crime in the punishment grid set forth at former RCW 9.94A.310 and .320; thus, the SRA lists a punishment for a nonexistent crime. Kron asserts that because RCW 10.95.030 requires either the death penalty or life without parole for aggravated murder, and because the SRA is intended to govern all aspects of felony *694 punishment and mistakenly lists a noncrime in level XIV, the statutes are in conflict. When statutes are ambiguous or in irreconcilable conflict, the rule of lenity takes hold. See State v. Workman, 90 Wash. 2d 443, 454, 584 P.2d 382 (1978). Therefore, Kron concludes, the sentence prescribed in the SRA for the most serious actual crime, first degree murder, applies instead of the aggravated murder enhancement found outside the SRA in RCW 10.95.
[1] This argument is novel but not persuasive. Our central task in construing statutes is to ascertain the legislative intent. State v. Keller, 98 Wash. 2d 725, 728, 657 P.2d 1384 (1983). In so doing, we should construe a statute so as to avoid strained or absurd consequences. State v. Keller, supra. If two statutes pertain to the same subject matter, they must be harmonized whenever possible. Snohomish Cy. PUD 1 v. Broadview Television Co., 91 Wash. 2d 3, 586 P.2d 851 (1978). The Legislature has specified in two separate statutes that death or life in prison without parole will be the only sentencing alternatives for someone who commits aggravated murder. The Legislature could not have intended any other penalty.
[2] It is true that RCW 10.95.020 enumerates the penalty enhancement factors added to premeditated first degree murder and does not describe elements of a separate crime. State v. Kincaid, supra. This statute does not conflict with the SRA, however. Two explicit purposes of the SRA are to ensure that punishment is (1) proportionate to the seriousness of the offense, and (2) commensurate with the punishment imposed on persons committing similar offenses. RCW 9.94A.010(1), (3). Aggravated murder is more serious than murder in the first degree, which lacks the statutory aggravating circumstances. State v. Irizarry, 111 Wash. 2d 591, 595, 763 P.2d 432 (1988); Kincaid, 103 Wn.2d at 312. Therefore, the aggravated murder statute, RCW 10.95, functions consistently with the SRA by prescribing a more severe penalty than that provided in the SRA for "ordinary" first degree murder. Likewise, to satisfy the SRA's purpose of like sentences for like crimes, it is important that "ordinary" *695 first degree murderers and aggravated murderers not receive the same degree of punishment. The statutes are harmonious, not inconsistent. To construe them as Kron urges would thwart the obvious legislative intent and lead to an absurd result, that of disregarding the shared, stated purpose of both the aggravated murder statute and the SRA to provide harsher penalties for aggravated murder.
DEATH-QUALIFIED JURY
[3] Kron next raises the issue of the "death-qualified" jury, i.e., a jury in a capital case from which prospective jurors have been excluded for cause because of their attitudes toward the death penalty. Although he did not receive a death sentence, he postulates that such juries are unusually prone to convict. He concedes that the prosecutorial practice of excluding all jurors opposed to capital punishment is permissible under the United States Constitution, Witherspoon v. Illinois, 391 U.S. 510, 20 L. Ed. 2d 776, 88 S. Ct. 1770 (1968), but he argues that the issue remains unresolved under the Washington Constitution, article 1, sections 21 and 22. He is wrong. The Supreme Court has already decided that "the process of death qualifying a jury in accordance with the law and practice of this State ... is not violative of either the state or federal constitution." State v. Hughes, 106 Wash. 2d 176, 188, 721 P.2d 902 (1986).
CHARGING � DENIAL OF EQUAL PROTECTION
[4] Kron argues that he was denied equal protection of the laws by the State's election to charge him with the capital crime of premeditated murder with the aggravating circumstance of solicitation, RCW 10.95.020(5), rather than with the noncapital felony of conspiracy to commit first degree murder, RCW 9A.28.030. This argument fails. Where the selective enforcement of criminal statutes is not arbitrary, capricious, or based on unjustifiable standards, equal protection is not denied. Workman, 90 Wn.2d at 456. The State has broad discretion in making charging decisions based on a range of statutory factors. RCW 9.94A.440. *696 Equal protection is denied where the prosecutor has discretion to seek various degrees of punishment by proving identical criminal elements. State v. Ensminger, 77 Wash. 2d 535, 463 P.2d 612 (1970). That is not what happened here. The elements of solicitation to commit murder, RCW 9A.28.030, are not the same as the elements of premeditated murder committed with the aggravated circumstance of solicitation, RCW 10.95.020(5). Mere solicitation does not require completion of the solicited crime; premeditated murder by solicitation requires a dead victim.
Kron also ventures an equal protection argument with respect to the charge of criminal conspiracy to commit aggravated murder versus the lesser charge of conspiracy to commit first degree murder, RCW 9A.28.040. He points out that conspiracy is not listed in RCW 10.95.020 as a circumstance establishing aggravated murder, but he never explains how he was denied equal protection by the prosecutor's election to charge conspiracy to commit aggravated murder rather than conspiracy to commit first degree murder. The State had every right to charge aggravated murder for the death of Susie Kron, and it also had the right to charge Kron and Les McVay with conspiring to commit her murder, a class A felony in its own right. RCW 9A.28.040(3)(a); RCW 9A.32.030(1)(a).
[5, 6] We find no equal protection violation here, but without explicitly articulating it, Kron does raise a valid point: The State should not have charged him with conspiracy to commit aggravated murder, because there is no such crime. The pertinent statute lists the highest degree of criminal conspiracy as a class A felony "when an object of the conspiratorial agreement is murder in the first degree". RCW 9A.28.040(3)(a). This is the most serious kind of conspiracy found in Washington law; there is no statutory mention of any higher crime of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder. As we have seen, aggravated murder itself is not a crime, but a means of enhancing the penalty for certain kinds of first degree murder. Obviously, the State cannot charge a crime without statutory authority. This mistake *697 did not prejudice Kron, however. Assuming that the proper charge was criminal conspiracy to commit first degree murder, a conviction for that offense inheres in the jury's conviction of Kron for conspiring to commit aggravated murder, i.e., first degree murder with aggravating circumstances.[1] Any error is harmless.
PROOF OF AGGRAVATING CIRCUMSTANCES
A. Burglary.
[7] Kron contends that the trial court erred in denying his motions to dismiss the aggravating factors of burglary and agreement to pay money for the murder. As for the burglary, he argues that there was no evidence that Les McVay intended or attempted any crime other than the murder of Susie Kron, and because the putative burglar must intend some crime other than the murder itself, the aggravating factor relating to burglary is "completely contrived". This argument fails, for two reasons � one legal and one factual. First, Kron relies on cases that focus on the laudable goal of carefully limiting the class of persons who are eligible for the death penalty, so as to avoid its arbitrary and capricious application. E.g., Godfrey v. Georgia, 446 U.S. 420, 64 L. Ed. 2d 398, 100 S. Ct. 1759 (1980); Zant v. Stephens, 462 U.S. 862, 77 L. Ed. 2d 235, 103 S. Ct. 2733 (1983). Kron did not receive the death penalty, so these cases do not apply. Second, and equally fatal to his argument, Les McVay admitted his intention to enter Susie Kron's house to steal $700 from her purse. Unlawful entry for the purpose of stealing something is burglary of the most common kind. McVay had the requisite intent to steal, so we need not consider his argument that the intent to kill *698 would not by itself establish an element of burglary as an aggravating circumstance.
B. Solicitation/Agreement.
[8] As for the aggravating factor of agreement or solicitation to commit murder in exchange for money, the defense moved to dismiss on this ground at the close of all the evidence, contending that the testimony failed to show a "head-to-head agreement [between Kron and Les McVay] as to monetary element that the state has alleged." This is really a sufficiency of the evidence argument, to which we apply the usual standard; viz., after viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution, could any rational trier of fact have found the essential elements proven beyond a reasonable doubt? State v. Green, 94 Wash. 2d 216, 616 P.2d 628 (1980).
Kron is flatly wrong. McVay testified that in exchange for the killing, Kron offered to forgive an old debt, pay him some of the $1,500 proceeds from an accident settlement, and hold McVay harmless for a pistol of Kron's that a "girl" had stolen; and that "[t]here was money mentioned that I could possibly get." Although McVay also testified that he committed the murder out of fear of Kron, the evidence of an agreement or solicitation of murder for money is sufficient.
AGGRAVATED MURDER VERDICT FORM
Kron contends that the trial court erred by giving the jury an aggravated murder verdict form, over defense objection, that did not require the jury to specify what aggravating factor it found. The challenged verdict form merely asked the jury whether Kron was guilty of "the crime of Aggravated Murder in the First Degree...". He argues that this form, in combination with instruction 11,[2] creates the possibility that the jury did not find one or both of the *699 alleged aggravating circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt. See State v. Kincaid, 103 Wash. 2d 304, 692 P.2d 823 (1985); State v. Martin, 41 Wash. App. 133, 138, 703 P.2d 309 (aggravating circumstances not elements of underlying crime, but still must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt), review denied, 104 Wash. 2d 1016 (1985). He posits confusion from the fact that instruction 11 requires the jury to agree unanimously on the presence of an aggravating factor, but form A requires only a general verdict on aggravated murder.
[9, 10] The verdict form and instructions were legally sufficient, i.e., they permitted each party to argue his theory of the case, were not misleading, and correctly stated the applicable law. State v. Mark, 94 Wash. 2d 520, 618 P.2d 73 *700 (1980). The verdict form was not confusing; it simply asked the jury to state its decision once it had considered the charge pursuant to instruction 11.[3]
MISTRIAL BECAUSE OF PROSECUTOR'S QUESTION
[11] Kron next argues that he should have been granted a mistrial when the prosecutor, during his direct examination of Les McVay, in attempting to show that McVay had not received leniency or any promises in return for his testimony, asked this question: "In fact, during [McVay's prior] sentencing hearing, the prosecutor, myself, asked that you be put to death; isn't that correct?" The trial court sustained a defense objection, but declined to grant a mistrial. This was not error. A mistrial should be granted only when the remark of counsel so prejudiced the jury that "`nothing the trial court could have said or done would have remedied the harm done to the defendant.'" State v. Weber, 99 Wash. 2d 158, 165, 659 P.2d 1102 (1983) (quoting State v. Gilcrist, 91 *701 Wn.2d 603, 612, 590 P.2d 809 (1979)). Only errors that may have affected the outcome of the trial are prejudicial. State v. Gilcrist, supra.
The defense argued for a mistrial on the ground that this question improperly attempted to bolster McVay's testimony and went beyond the bounds of the prosecutor's previous representations that he would not delve further into McVay's sentence. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying a mistrial. The remark was not so serious and prejudicial that only a new trial could have cured the error, and the court adequately remedied the situation by instructing the jury several times that the remarks of counsel were not evidence. See State v. Essex, 57 Wash. App. 411, 415-16, 788 P.2d 589 (1990).
McVAY'S SEALED SENTENCE
Kron also raises a related issue, that the court erred by keeping McVay's sentence from the jury during Kron's trial. He contends that sealing the sentence denied him an opportunity to impeach McVay for bias and lack of credibility. He cites an 1891 case, Anderson v. State, 2 Wash. 183, 26 P. 267 (1891).
[12] This argument fails. Anderson is inapposite. Although it held erroneous the sealing of a jury's death penalty verdict overnight until the jury could reconvene, the facts here are entirely different. Here, the judge sealed his own sentence pending trial of a codefendant so as to preclude the possibility that the jury in the second trial would be influenced by the prior sentence. Such prudence is to be applauded, not condemned.
We have other concerns about this argument. For one thing, we doubt that Kron has standing to challenge the sealing of McVay's sentence. He does not explain how he could have used the sentence to his benefit. The jury already knew that McVay had been convicted for his role, sentenced either to death or life without parole, and promised nothing for his testimony. Moreover, Kron is conspicuously *702 ambivalent regarding this issue. On the one hand, he has argued that the court should have granted a mistrial because of the prosecutor's inquiry into McVay's sentence, and on the other hand he says that the court erred by not disclosing the sentence. He cannot have it both ways.
DISQUALIFICATION OF JUDGE
[13] Still another related issue is Kron's contention that the trial judge should have disqualified himself from presiding over Kron's trial after he had been the trier of fact in McVay's. Kron assumes that the trial judge was in the "awkward position" of deciding Kron's request to unseal the penalty imposed previously upon McVay, and should have "recused"[4] himself in favor of another judge who had not already formed an opinion on McVay's credibility. Kron cites no authority for this argument, and we will not consider it except to observe that he fails to allege any examples of actual bias on the judge's part, and that it was the jury, not the judge, who was the trier of fact in Kron's case.
A majority of the panel having determined that only the foregoing portion of this opinion will be printed in the Washington Appellate Reports and that the remainder shall be filed for public record pursuant to RCW 2.06.040, it is so ordered.
MORGAN, A.C.J., and ALEXANDER, J., concur.
Reconsideration denied March 20, 1992.
Review denied at 119 Wash. 2d 1004 (1992).
NOTES
[*] Judge Stanley W. Worswick is serving as a judge pro tempore of the Court of Appeals pursuant to CAR 21(c).
[1] Nor was Kron prejudiced in sentencing. The correct range is arrived at by intersecting Kron's offender score (6) and the seriousness level of the completed crime of first degree murder, (XIII), multiplied by .75 because conspiracy is an "anticipatory offense". Former RCW 9.94A.310, Table 1. Thus, the range is 312 to 416 months x .75 = 234 to 312 months. Not only is this higher than the range of 218.25 to 291 months calculated by the trial court on the conspiracy count, but the sentence of 291 months actually imposed lies well within the correct standard range. Moreover, the sentence runs concurrent to one of life without parole for aggravated murder.
[2] Instruction 11 reads:
"To convict the defendant of the crime of aggravated murder in the first degree, each of the following elements of the crime must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt:
"(1) That on or about the 2nd day of June, 1988, the defendant solicited, commanded, encouraged, or requested another person to cause the death of Dlorah S. Kron;
"(2) That the defendant solicited, commanded, encouraged, or requested the other person to act with intent to cause the death of Dlorah S. Kron;
"(3) That the intent to cause the death of Dlorah S. Kron was premeditated by the defendant;
"(4) That Dlorah S. Kron died as a result of the acts of the defendant or another person he had solicited, commanded, encouraged or requested to so act; and
"(5) That the acts causing the death occurred in Pierce County, Washington; and
"(6) That one or both of the following aggravating factors were present:
"(a) The murder was committed in the course of, in furtherance of, or in immediate flight from the crime of Burglary in the Second Degree; or
"(b) That the defendant solicited another person to commit the murder and had paid or agreed to pay money or any other thing of value for committing the murder.
"If you find from the evidence that each of these elements (1) through (5) has been proved beyond a reasonable doubt, and also find that either (6)(a) or (6)(b), or both, have been proved beyond a reasonable doubt, then it will be your duty to return a verdict of guilty. Elements (6)(a) and (6)(b) are alternatives. You must be unanimous as to which of elements (6)(a) or (6)(b), or both, was proved. It is only necessary to find that one of the elements (6)(a) or (6)(b) was proved in order to convict.
"On the other hand, if, after weighing all of the evidence, you have a reasonable doubt as to any one of these elements (1) through (6), then it will be your duty to return a verdict of not guilty."
[3] Although Kron's argument is unpersuasive, it does call attention to an anomaly found in both the charging information and instruction 11, the elements instruction on aggravated first degree murder. Kron was charged with alternative means of committing aggravated first degree murder: agreement with or solicitation of another to commit murder in exchange for money or any other thing of value; or committing murder in the course of, in furtherance of, or in flight from a burglary. RCW 10.95.020(4), (5), (9)(c). Curiously, although the statute sets out agreement and solicitation as separate and distinct aggravating circumstances, the State lumped them together in its information and the jury was instructed on them together:
(6) That one or both of the following aggravating factors were present:
(a) [The burglary factor]; or
(b) That the defendant solicited another person to commit the murder and had paid or agreed to pay money or any other thing of value for committing the murder.
... Elements (6)(a) and (6)(b) are alternatives. You must be unanimous as to which of elements (6)(a) or (6)(b), or both, was proved. It is only necessary to find that one of the elements (6)(a) or (6)(b) was proved in order to convict.
(Italics ours.)
Kron was not prejudiced by this anomaly, because the jury was instructed to agree unanimously either that a murder occurred incident to a burglary or that Kron solicited and agreed to pay for a murder, and the evidence was ample to prove any and all of the aggravating circumstances: burglary, solicitation, or agreement.
[4] Strictly speaking, to recuse is to challenge the judge. In response, the judge may or may not disqualify himself; he does not recuse himself. Recusal is the process that results in the judge's disqualification. Black's Law Dictionary 1277 (6th rev. ed. 1990).
Robert Eugene Cox
Ronald Dean Cox
OBITUARY Monterey Peninsula Herald Monterey, Monterey County, CA 3 January 1985 Parylee J. Seals, a Seaside resident for 58 years, died Monday at Community Hospital after a long Illness. She was 78. Mrs. Seals was born Oct. 16, 1906, in Lake Arthur, LA. She was employed for 17 years, from 1952 to 1968, in the house-keeping department of Community Hospital. She moved to Seaside in 1927 from Kirkland, WA. Mrs. Seals was a member of the senior citizens club of Seaside. Her husband, Ted Joseph Seals, also died on New Year's Eve – Dec. 31, 1946. Survivors include six sons, Carl A. of Dexter, OR, Donald J. of South Lake Tahoe, Robert A. of Salinas, Roger I. of Albany, OR, Richard M. and Raymond L., both of Eugene, OR; two daughters, Sue Geidt of Seaside and Betty Jean Hester of Watsonville; a brother, Robert Pinney of Kirkland, WA; a sister, Betty Bridgeman, also of Kirkland, 35 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren. Friends may call today from 4 to 8 p.m. at Chapel of Seaside. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the Chapel of Seaside. Burial will follow at Mission Memorial Park in Seaside.
OBITUARY Monterey Herald Monterey, Monterey, CA 20 May 2009 EDWARD GIEDT July 3, 1919 ~ May 11, 2009 GARDNERVILLE, NV - Edward Giedt passed away on May 11, 2009, at the Carson Valley Medical Center. He lived in Gardnerville for the past three years. He was 89 years old. Edward was born to Margaret and John Giedt in Danzig, North Dakota on July 3, 1919. He left North Dakota as a young man and worked various jobs. He joined the Fort Ord Fire Department as a fireman and eventually retired at the rank of Captain after 30 years of service. He married Geraldine Seals on July 23, 1943 in Monterey, CA. He and Geraldine established a home in Seaside and raised three children. He and Geraldine also lived for 10 years in South Lake Tahoe, CA, where Edward worked at the Sahara Tahoe. Edward enjoyed his family and many friends on the Monterey Peninsula. He traveled extensively throughout the United States and had many hobbies. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Geraldine (Sue) Giedt; daughters, Evon Farrow and Cheryl (Rod) Nafie all of Gardnerville. He was preceded in death by his son, Garry Giedt. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Steven Farrow and Misty Braasch of Cumming, GA, and Jennifer Bingham (Felton) and Timothy Giedt (Seaside) and great-grandchildren. No services are currently planned.
OBITUARY Robert Allen Seals of Wicksburg passed away on Thursday, January 14, 2010 at his residence. He was 79. A private memorial service was held at the family residence. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Wiregrass Spay and Neuter Clinic of Dothan or SOS of Enterprise. Mr. Seals was born May 8, 1930 in Monterey, CA, and he resided the early years of his life in the Seaside California area. He joined the United States Navy and was a veteran of the Korean War. Mr. Seals lived in Salinas, CA for several years and was employed with Sturdy Oil Company. He resided in Los Banos, CA before moving to Wicksburg in 2003. A special thanks to DaVita of Dothan and Covenant Hospice for the special care they gave during Mr. Seals illness. Survivors include his wife of 41 years, Ellie Seals, Wicksburg; five children, Ted Seals and his wife Wanda, Robin Cartledge, Tammy Mancuso, Benna Pilkington and James Thomas; grandchildren, Micah Graham, Sumer Mertes & her husband, Bryan, Bethany Bennett and her husband, Jason, Robert "Bobby" Seals, Logan Pilkington, Travis Massa, Savannah, Logan, London Mancuso; great-grand-children, Hattie Mertes and Jackson Bennett. Robert Byrd of Sunset Funeral Home (334) 983-6604, is in charge of arrangements.
Gridley Herald, Friday, 12 June 1936: Pioneer Sheep Man of Sutter and Butte Counties Summoned William Rufus Rhinehart, born March 19, 1858, in Sutter county, died Tuesday morning at his home on Wilson street following a three day illness with pneumonia. Although able to be up and around Mr. Rhinehart had been in failing health for several years. The deceased was a pioneer sheep grower of Butte and Sutter counties and during his active years owned large bands with headquarters at the Pugh farm in the Sutter Buttes. He was a member of the Christian church and was universally respected by all who knew him. He is survived by his wife Livia Hobson Rhinehart; a son, Thomas of Alameda and a daughter, Mrs. Katherine Zaninnal of Sacramento; three grandchildren. Final rites were held yesterday from the Block Funeral Home. Rev. R. A. Moon preached an appropriate sermon in final tribute to the deceased. "Abide With Me" and "Lead Kindly Light" were sung by Mrs. W. H. Block. Casket bearers were Chas. H. Brown, J.R. Schaffer, T. J. Long, A. Smith, Fred Reimer and B. Munter. Interment in Gridley-Biggs cemetery. - Transcribed by E.
Gridley Herald, Saturday 22 January 1927: PIONEER LOCAL WOMAN IS CALLED BY DEATH Mrs. Olivia C. Hobson, a resident of the Gridley section for 54 years, passed away at her home in this city early Thursday evening, January 20, 1927, following an illness of several years duration. The final summons came shortly after nine o'clock in the evening, the deceased having fallen into a state of coma the night before. Born Olivia C. Dunahoo in Arkansas September 17, 1852, the deceased came to California by ox team in 1869. The party was menaced at frequent intervals by hostile Indians. August 4, 1870, the deceased was united in marriage to Jesse Hobson and in 1872 they settled upon a farm seven miles west of Gridley. Mrs. Hobson was a member of the Gridley United Brethren Church for forty years. The husband of the deceased preceded her to the grave October 25, 1920. She is survived by a brother, W. H. Dunahoo, of Biggs, and seven children, Frank Hobson of San Francisco, Fred Hobson of Sacramento, Ed. Hobson of Quincy, Mrs. Jessie V. Burleson and Mrs. L. A. Rinehart of Gridley, Mrs. Lulu L. Beem of Sacramento and Mrs. Mary Moreland of Gridley. Eleven grandchildren also survive. Funeral services are to take place this afternoon at 2:30 o'clock from the United Brethren Church, Rev. Shull officiating. Interment will be made in the Gridley Cemetery under the direction of the Block Funeral Home.
1/23/2018
Hi you don't know me but i was reading your website that I found very informative. My name is Jeramaine Kron. I am not sure if that would mean anything. I've been looking for family members since I was in foster care and all we ever got told was negative things. I am the son of Dlorah S Kron but Kron wasn't here married name as she wasn't married to my father. Now with that being said I can't find anything prior to my mothers' side as she was adopted in Illinois by my grandma who has also passed away. If you would know how to reach out to my kin I'd appreciate it. I know this is a long shot but that is all I have as all I have is my sister and me in this world.
Amberjina Kron and Katrina Malm were taken into state care at ages two and one, respectively, and placed under the foster care of David and Anne Osbon. In the home, the two young girls experienced extreme physical, sexual and emotional abuse throughout their childhood. DSHS negligently licensed Osbons as foster parents, and negligently placed Amberjina and Katrina in the care of the Osbons. DSHS then failed to monitor the placement and failed to follow applicable guidelines, standards, and requirements to check on the children’s welfare to determine whether the placement was working or whether they were being properly cared for.
https://www.leagle.com/decision/199275163wnapp6881662
A.K. & K.M. v. State of Washington DSHS
Case type: Sexual and Physical Abuse, Government Liability Award: $2 million Settlement Attorneys: Jack Connelly, Lincoln Beauregard, Crystal Manring
Case Summary
Plffs A.K. and K.M. were taken into state care at ages two and one, respectively, and placed under the foster care of Def.s David and Anne Osborn. In Def.s home, the two young girls experienced extreme physical, sexual and emotional abuse throughout their childhood. Def. DSHS negligently licensed Def.s Osborn as Plffs foster parents, and negligently placed Plffs in the care of the Def.s. Def DSHS then failed to monitor the placement and failed to follow applicable guidelines, standards, and requirements to check on Plaintiffs’ welfare to determine whether the placement was working or whether Plaintiffs were being properly cared for.
Case Details
Beginning when A.K. was approximately age six, Defendant David Osbon began sexually assaulting, abusing, and ultimately raping Plaintiff. This continued over several years during the remainder of her time with the foster family. Defendant David Osbon forced her to look at pornography and stimulate him manually before engaging in sexual intercourse. This continued and the sexual activity increased. When A.K. was approximately age eight, Defendant David Osbon began ordering her to shower with him and forced her to dress and walk around the house wearing only his wife’s underwear. Defendant David Osbon physically beat A.K. and threatened her not to tell anyone what was occurring. She had no one to turn to, was not being monitored by DSHS caseworkers and learned not to speak to anyone regarding the ongoing beatings, sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. Beginning when K.M. was approximately age two, Defendant David Osbon began sexually assaulting and molesting K.M. Defendant David Osbon fondled K.M., rubbed his penis against K.M.’s vagina, sexually assaulted K.M. and sexually molested K.M. on numerous occasions. This continued over many years while K.M. was in the foster home. When K.M. was approximately eight, Defendant David Osbon began sneaking into K.M.’s bedroom after others in the home were asleep and sexually assaulting and molesting her. Defendant Ann Osbon was aware that K.M. was being sexually assaulted and molested by her husband, Defendant David Osbon but allowed Defendant David Osbon to continue to sexually assault and molest K.M. K.M. had no one to turn to and was not being monitored by DSHS caseworkers. A.K. and K.M.’s foster parents intentionally emotionally abused the Plaintiffs. Defendant David and Ann Osbon continually deprived A.K. of food, and forced her to eat moldy food and food unfit for consumption. If A.K. vomited up a portion of her meal, Defendants forced her to eat her own regurgitation. The Defendants forced A.K. and K.M. to eat animal food out of a cat dish. The Defendants extorted money from K.M.’s family members so K.M.’s family could visit her. Defendants physically beat A.K. and K.M. regularly, including striking them with hard objects such as fire pokers, wood, and broomsticks. At one point the police were called after a particularly vicious attack by Defendant Ann Osbon, who stabbed A.K. in the throat and head. When the police arrived, Defendant Ann Osbon lied to the police stating that A.K. was unstable and that she had inflicted the injuries on herself. Defendant Osbons additionally failed to provide required medical attention and care. For example on one occasion when A.K. broke her arm at a school function, Defendants denied her medical attention. After a few days, school authorities noticed that A.K. was unable to move her arm and that it was not healing. They sent her to a doctor to be treated, and he placed her arm in a sling and asked her to come back in with her guardian so that he could set her arm. Upon hearing this, Defendant Ann Osbon ripped her arm from the sling and physically beat her. A.K. did not receive any further treatment for her arm. During the time A.K. was living with Defendants David and Ann Osbon, Defendants locked her in a small room. She was not allowed to leave this room, and was forced to stay in it for days at a time with her own feces and urine building up in the corner. The social workers employed by Defendant DSHS and charged with monitoring the care of Plaintiffs did nothing to supervise, review, check, or otherwise monitor their placement. This allowed the abuse to occur, increase, continue and worsen over time. DSHS employees negligently allowed Plaintiffs to be removed from the State of Washington and taken to Arizona by their abusive foster parents. The abuse, molestation, and rape continued in Arizona. This extreme abuse was permitted to occur over such a long period of time because DSHS employees failed to monitor and review Plaintiffs’ placement. Plaintiffs were abandoned with no assistance or supervision by DSHS employees.
The state Department of Social and Health Services will pay $2 million to settle a lawsuit brought by two women who claimed they suffered years of physical and sexual abuse as children in a foster home while DSHS looked the other way. The women, identified in court papers as A.K. and K.M., claimed they were abused beginning in the late 1980s at ages 5 and 6 after being placed in a Pierce County foster home. In their lawsuit, filed in Pierce County Superior Court, A.K. claimed her foster father began raping her at age 6. When she was 8, she claimed, he ordered her to start showering with him and to walk around the house wearing only his wife's underwear. The lawsuit also alleged the couple subjected foster children to beatings and sadistic punishments, such as forcing the children to eat feces and vomit. Thursday's settlement included no admission of wrongdoing by DSHS. Agency spokesman Steve Williams said the women's abuse claims were never proven. But, he added: "DSHS hopes the plaintiffs can use the settlement in ways that will help them live fulfilling and productive lives." An attorney for the foster parents — who were never criminally charged — rejected the abuse claims in the lawsuit. "The couple denied and continue to deny all allegations of physical, sexual and emotional abuse claimed by the plaintiffs," said the attorney, Sok-Khieng Lim, in an e-mailed statement. She added that the couple provided foster care for more than 20 years in Washington and Arizona — frequently taking on some of the most difficult children in the system — and they were "devastated" by the allegations. The couple, who now live in England, were dismissed from the lawsuit after a $10,000 settlement earlier this year. The Seattle Times does not generally name individuals who have not been charged with a crime. The attorneys for the women, now in their early 20s, said they'd discovered evidence in DSHS files that the agency had received multiple warnings of possible abuse over years, yet failed to act. For example, one of A.K.'s teachers reported that the girl had seemed fearful of her foster dad and had complained that "her private parts hurt" — classic signs of possible abuse. No investigation occurred. An elementary-school counselor reported hearing that A.K. was forced by her foster mother to eat loaves of frozen bread for several days in a row as a punishment for overeating at school. A DSHS supervisor dismissed that as "a bizarre form of punishment" that did not rise to the level of neglect, according to court documents. Another school counselor reported hearing that foster children in the home were sometimes forced to hit each other. If they didn't, the mother "will hit us in the mouth and knock our teeth out," one of the children said in a therapy session, according to court documents. Despite such reports, DSHS did not launch an investigation and allowed the couple to move with the girls to Arizona in 1993. Lincoln Beauregard, an attorney representing the women, said his clients hoped the settlement would lead other abused foster children to step forward. "The most important thing to my clients is that the public knows what happened ... and that DSHS failed to do their job and continues to fail to do their job," he said. Beauregard also said he was furious with what he considers a "perjured" declaration — filed by the state in a failed attempt to have the lawsuit dismissed — by the longtime DSHS caseworker for the children. That caseworker, now retired, said in the sworn declaration that "at no point was there ever a suggestion of physical or sexual abuse," despite having been questioned that day in a deposition about reports of possible abuse in DSHS's own files. The $2 million settlement is the latest of many to hit DSHS's supervision of foster homes in recent years. In 2007, four siblings won a $6.2 million verdict after a jury found the state negligent for licensing an abusive Seattle foster mother. Last year, eight boys got an $11 million settlement from Seattle, Tacoma and DSHS for failing to stop sexual abuse by a foster father who also posted explicit pictures of the abuse on the Internet. In 2004, DSHS agreed to make major changes to the foster-care system in response to a class-action lawsuit.
Emma Lena Zysset Ervig
of Everett
Emma Lena Ervig
Daily Herald, The (Everett, WA) - Sunday, February 21, 2010
Mom passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at Sunrise Convalescent Home in Everett where she had been a resident, due to age related health, for the past two months. Emma Lena Zysset was born in Clipper, WA on November 20, 1911. She moved to Everett and attended public schools here. She also attended Delta Baptist Church as a child. She met and married Reidar William Ervig at his church, Bethany Temple. Emma and Reidar had three children, Loretta Cox (Longview, WA), Gary Ervig (Longview, WA) and Wanda Lobb (Everett, WA). She has many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Reidar, in 1962. She later met Ken Gildstad and they had 47 years of devoted friendship to each other. They both joined the Delta Baptist Church and have been faithful members. Services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, February 27, 2010, at Solie Funeral Home of Everett.
Gary R. Ervig, Sr.
Daily News, The (Longview, WA) - Thursday, February 16, 2017
Gary Ray Ervig, Sr., 78, passed away peacefully Monday, February 13, 2017 at home in Castle Rock, Washington with his wife, Janette, by his side. Gary Sr. was born on May 26, 1938 to Reidar and Emma Ervig of Everett, Washington. Gary loved to do anything having to do with outdoors: fishing, camping, riding motorcycles, hunting and photography. Gary was known for designing and fabricating all kinds of ideas. Gary lived in the Longview area where he worked as an Extruder Operator for 35 years, and served as a safety representative. In 1992, Gary Sr. married Janette Ervig and shared 25 years of love and friendship full of adventures. Gary had a love for life. He was everyones friend and no one was a stranger. Gary is survived by his wife, Janette Ervig; sister Wanda Lobb; children, Gary Ervig Jr., Terry Ervig, Mark Ervig, Bill Ervig, and the twins, Brian and Sandra Ervig; daughters, Nancy Doll and Lesa Simpson; fifteen grandchildren; many great grandchildren, and several foster children. Gary is preceded in death by parents, Reidar and Emma Ervig; sister Loretta Cox, and his daughter, Barbara Wilson. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, February 18, 2017 at Longview Memorial Park, Steele Chapel, 5050 Mt. Solo Rd., Longview, Washington.