Jury finds Blakely guilty

Jurors unanimous in both counts of criminal solicitation of murder

EPHRATA — After spending about half of Thursday in deliberations, a jury came back with a guilty verdict Thursday for Ralph Howard Blakely.

The jury unanimously found Blakely guilty on two counts of criminal solicitation to commit first-degree murder, for attempting to hire a fellow inmate to kill his ex-wife and daughter.

Blakely, 69, was charged with the crime after Robbie Juarez went to authorities about a plan Blakely had to kill his ex-wife Yolanda, and daughter Lorene. Juarez testified earlier this week that Blakely offered

him $40,000 a piece to kill the two women.

Juarez and Blakely spoke while both serving time in the Airway Heights Correction Center in Spokane County in 2003. They first met earlier in the Grant County Jail.

Grant County Sheriff's Detective Dave Matney aided Juarez in writing letters to Blakely about the plot. In exchange for his help, Juarez had some burglary charges reduced to that for criminal trespassing.

Blakely responded to the letters, which were introduced as evidence in the case, giving Juarez the addresses of Yolanda and Lorene. Blakely denied in testimony earlier this week that he asked Juarez to kill his

ex-wife and daughter, and testified that he planned to pay the family a friendly visit.

The jury found him guilty on both counts in the case, following closing statements by prosecutor Carolyn Fair and defense attorney Robert Cossey. Cossey said after the verdict that he wasn't surprised by the outcome.

"I was expecting a verdict of this type," Cossey said, adding that his client would appeal the verdict.

Cossey had kind words for both the prosecution and Judge Evan Sperline following the trial. He said he thought the prosecution did a great job, and thought Sperline was very objective in how he handled the trial.

Grant County Prosecuting Attorney John Knodell said he was confident that the charges were appropriate in the case. He added that he always trusts the jury to do the right thing, which he said he thought they did in this

week's trial.

Prosecutor Carolyn Fair said that she though that after the evidence was gathered, the verdict substantiated the charges.

"The evidence we had was the product of Detective Matney and the sheriff's Office," Knodell said, referring to the lead investigator in the case.

Knodell and prosecutors Fair and Stephen Scott said Blakely's previous conviction for assault and kidnapping will count toward his sentencing later this month.

Blakely had been serving time at Airway Heights for a 1998 incident when he kidnapped Yolanda and transported her back to Montana from Royal City in a wooden box. Blakely was also convicted of assaulting his son in that incident.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year, that Blakely should not have received a sentenced beyond the standard range in the kidnapping case. Blakely was sentenced to 90 months in prison for the crime, beyond the

statutory mid-range of 49 to 53 months. Judge Sperline cited deliberate cruelty and intimidation in sentencing Blakely beyond the standard range in the kidnapping case.

Blakely remains in the custody of the Grant County Jail, pending sentencing in the case. Sperline set sentencing for March 22.