(photo courtesy of KOMONews.com)
Attorneys wrapped up their arguments in the retrial of the man accused of driving Maurice Clemmons to the coffee shop, where he killed four Lakewood Police officers in 2009. Sergeant Mark Renninger and Officers Ronald Owens, Tina Griswold and Greg Richards were at the Forza coffee shop near Parkland that November Sunday morning when Clemmons ambushed them and then took off. Clemmons was found a couple of days later and killed by Seattle Police. The alleged getaway driver, Darcus Allen, was convicted on four counts of murder and sentenced to 420 years in prison. Those convictions were overturned on appeal, which prompted this second trial.
Prosecutors laid out a timeline, including phone records that showed calls on pre-paid phones from Maurice Clemmons to Darcus Allen right outside Allen’s house the morning of the shootings.
Allen has maintained and his attorneys argue that he did not know Clemmons was going to the coffee shop to kill police officers, despite Clemmons having told his family Thanksgiving table of his intentions. Prosecutors say Allen drove Clemmons past the Forza before they stopped, so there was no way he didn’t know there were on-duty police officers there. They also say Allen waited at a place Clemmons knew to find him, and he carefully avoided security cameras and anything else that would link him to Clemmons.
Allen’s lawyers say say the so-called pre-paid “burner” phones provide nothing more than circumstantial evidence; that they were for Clemmons’ business and that the receipts for them were found in his truck. The defense reminded the jury that the law demands they presume innocence and consider the evidence presented by the state, which has the burden of proof of Allen’s guilt. They say much of what was presented, like that the phone calls were the basis for prosecutorial theory and conjecture, is not evidence.
The jury had just a short time to begin their deliberations before they were sent home for the day. We are monitoring the court for word they’ve reached a verdict. When they do, we will bring it to you, so stay with Northwest Newsradio AM 1000, 97.7 FM, on the TuneIn Radio app or tell your smart speaker “play Northwest Newsradio”. We’ll also update you right here at NWNewsradio.com.
