Grant County receives $545K reimbursement

EPHRATA - Grant County will receive a partial reimbursement of $545,000 for the defense costs involved with the handling of two homicide cases.

The state Office of Public Defense awarded the county the money after receiving petitions from June Strickler, administrative services coordinator for the county commissioners, county Commissioner Cindy Carter said. The Extraordinary Criminal Defense Costs Act allows counties to seek reimbursement for costs in aggravated murder cases.

The state Office of Public Defense works with other organizations and submits a list of petitions that are recommended for funding to the Legislature.

Strickler submitted petitions for the David Nickels and Gilberto Valdovinos Medina Jr. murder cases.

Nickels was convicted of first-degree murder last year for shooting Sage Munro, of Ephrata, in 2009. After a lengthy trial, he was sentenced in April to 25 years in jail.

Valdovinos Medina pled guilty to first-degree manslaughter after initially being charged with first-degree murder. He was accused of shooting Joaquin Serrano, of Moses Lake, in 2011. Valdovinos Medina was sentenced to 12 years in jail.

In the case of Nickels, Commissioner Carter explained the county's public defense office contracted with Seattle attorneys Mark Larranaga and Jacqueline Walsh. Expenses totaled more than $700,000.

The case against Valdovinos Medina also drug on because of several issues involving the evidence, including unreliable witnesses.

Carter said the money could go back into the current expense of the public defense office, but no official plans have been made yet.