The News Tribune from Tacoma, Washington • 2

Local A-2 Tacoma Sat Sept 27 1980 The News Tribune Convicted killer to testify in murder He was paid by woman to murder her niece prosecutor says The deputy prosecutor said Mrs Gennrich was furious after Martin MacDonald broke off their relationship that dated to 1962 because of a love affair with his niece Debra and drug who agreed to testify in exchange for a promise of special treatment by the prosecu- He said Martell came forward to offer Us cooperation only after an escape attempt failed and when prosecutors promised to have his life sentence without parole amended The woman who allegedly arranged the contract killing wife Martell and her husband originally were charged wife first-degree murder and with dealing in cocaine The woman has much to gain by implicating Mrs Gennrich fee attorney said In addition Cxeisler said defense testimony will show that Mrs Gennrich was bedridden tbe morn- fair wife his niece The trial before Judge Thomas A Swayxe Jr is expected to last three weeks MacDonald's neighbors and fire officials who first ar- -rived at the murder scene were among those first called to testify yesterday Connelly brought six witnesses to the stand yesterday who recounted incidents involving tbe fire and hnrnMdein the MacDonald garage One witness Diane Reed of Las Vegas who testified in the Martell trial said she was told by Martell that he had murdered a woman for $2000 that was paid to him by a woman whom he did not identify Mrs Reed who gave virtually' identical testimony in the first trial said feat Martell related to her that the motive Involved the victim from the person who ordered the contract murder Under questioning by Connelly Mrs Reed said Martell mentioned nothing about a love triangle er but was subdued and strangled Her body was covered with a sleeping bag and set afire in a garage at the home of her uncle Martin MacDonald at 210 106th SL An alert neighbor who wrote down the license number of a vehicle seen near the home the day before helped police trace the vehicle toMartelL Fourteen days later Martell's girlfriend informed authorities that Martell had told her he was paid $2000 by an unidentified woman to commit the murder Martell who testified that he was hone asleep when the minder occurred denied any knowledge of the killing but was convicted by a July last November Connelly said sheriffs homicide detectives were stymied by the case until last February when undercover officers contacted an Olympia woman who later was identified as the person who allegedly helped Mix Gennrich arrange the contract murder with MartelL Mrs Gennrich the 51-year-old the contract and hurriedly paid off the go-between with $100 bills after driving past the MacDonald lence shortly a after the murder By MARLOWE CHURCHILL The man who waa sentenced to life without parole for the strangulation of a 25-year-old Parkland woman last year despite his plea of innocence is expected to testify that he was paid by Rhonda Jo Gennrich to commit the contract murder Leo Steven Martell is one of a number of witnesses the prosecution is expected to call to testify against Mrs Gennrich in a first-degree murder case that Deputy Prosecutor Ellsworth Connelly said was a love triangle that resulted in a brutal killing But defense attorneys who unsuccessfully sought a mistrial and dismissal yesterday claimed the evidence hinges on the dubious testimony of murderers and drug After more than a week of Jury selection Connelly outlined his case in chronological order beginning' with the morning of Debra MacDonald's killing on Aug 21' 1979 She struggled with her attack former owner of the Continental Sauna in Parkland subsequently was arrested and charged with the crime Connelly said Mrs Gennricfa was bitter and furious after Martin MacDonald broke off their relationship that dated back to 1992 because of a love affair with his niece Debra The deputy prosecutor said Mrs Gennrich had threatened see them (Martin and Debra) burned even if she went to hell for Connelly said Mrs Gennricfa contacted a former masseuse who worked for her and arranged for The fashionably dressed defendant shook her haul in apparent disbelief during parts of address to the Jurors Her attorney Robert Cxeisler of Seattle attacked statements telling the Jury that the prosecution has a very neat which if opened contains that is rotten and it He said the witnesses Connelly has lined up are murderers present for the murder payoff Cxeisler said the testimony should be discounted because be beat Mrs Gennricfa during their relationship and later lied and misrepresented himself about his af Pierce last-minute contract staves off court injunction By JOHN GILLIE Pierce Transit yesterday staved off a court injunction that could have shut down many of its new suburban routes An eleventh-hour contract wife the operator of three suburban bus lines was the key element in persuading a superior court Judge not to issue the injunction Attorneys for both Pierce Transit and tbe three bus lines met wife Superior Court Judge Stanley Worxwick yesterday morning and told him they had reached a tentative agreement for fee bus lines to provide some new Pierce Transit offer Harmon new routes Those routes had not been scheduled to be opened until March Even so the transit action drew a protest from Don Hansen agent to the Amalgamated Transit Union Hansen told the board he was unhappy that employees who are Teamsters will get the work that should belong to his members ATU represents employees He said be intends to file a grievance ova the matter Hansen said he has scheduled a general membership meeting to tonight to discuss the new contract wife Har- mon lines save Pierce Transit has been operating in that territory since July 1 But the law is undear about whether the transit system must contract wife him to service while purchase negotiations are continuing Harmon and Pierce Transit have feus to been unable to agree on a price to the purchase A court trial on the condemnation of Hannon's property is set to March Although Harmon had defied a Pierce Transit order that he halt running buses in Place Transit territory his buses have attracted few passengers because he was trying to compete wife the publicly-subsidized bus service His fares were several times Pierce 25-cent fare By contracting wife Harmon to serve new routes rather than existing ones Pierce Transit was hoping to avoid unnecessary changes in fee established routes and to prevent layoffs of its own drivers If Pierce Transit had agreed to original demand that he be paid to operate his buses for Pierce Transit in his normal suburban territory the transit system would have had to lay off as many as 40 id its own drivers because the routes fen were driving had been contracted to Harmon Instead Pierce Transit chose to an injunction requested by the bus lines Tacoma Suburban Lines Chinook Transportation Corp and Pacific National Lines unless some sort of settlement of the dispute between them was reached by yesterday morning Pierce Transit commissioners meeting in a special session Thursday night offered the bus manager Paul Harmon a contract for the new routes Only the general details of that agreement have been worked out The contract service is expected to cost Pierce Transit about $25000 monthly said Dick Hayes Pierce acting director The new routes would connect the Willows shopping center south of Puyallup wife the Villa Plaxa shopping center in Lakewood and the Roy area wife Fort Lewis Other routes may also be included in the contract No starting date for the new service has been set Under the proposed contract Harmon would be paid $175 per mil and would be allowed to keep fee 25 cents per passenger fare Pierce Transit offered the contract after it appeared Hannon could have gotten an injunction shutting down Pierce Transit service to Puyallup Sumner Federal Wav Fife Milton and Fort Lewis under state law Pierce Transit is obliged to buy equipment and franchises after it begins operating in territory which his Worxwick had promised to grant Xnouttfy our Horn ond SAVQf McDermott forces rallying for fight Former Ray backers answering the Democratic call for unity Very Special Purchase! JERRY PUGNETTI IT political writer Spellman in November McDermott dumped incumbent Gov Dixy Lee Ray in last Democratic primary election Pierce County McDermott campaign leaders had invited local supporters of the governor in hopes of wooing them into tbe McDermott camp But only a few showed up expect them to cone rushing said McDermott backa Dais Evans of Tacoma they will come around that we ask is feat they campaign against she said One of the Ray supporters was William Legacy of Tacoma was impressed by ha (Ray's) sincerity and he said now carrying that inspiration to sui port otha candidates In his brief remarks McDermott stressed the importance of re-electing President Carta and UJL Sen Warren Magnuson in addition to electing him Seattle state Sen Jim McDermott took his gubernatorial campaign to Tacoma yesterday urging a group of supporters to back the Democratic ticket from top to bottom More than 60 persons a few of them had backed Gov Dixy Lee Ray turned out at a campaign luncheon to generate enthusiasm to flwtiwi IwHIm agalwrt UppuhHmn John Man gets life in fire deaths of children Save $257 on Country Bedroom Beauty ftepoe7 to rsflact a mood of saranlty hekifea 66" triple drsMar mirror 2-door ttand Mquaan headboard and toe-drawer loved those children like I would love my own Stoere went along wife Deputy Prosecutor Philip request that consecutive life prison terms be recommended to Lottie and that neva be The Judge made no recommendation to the state parole board on the minimum time Lottie should serve The parole board will decide the exact time of his release but life sentences ally bring a little more than IS years behind bars on each i SEATTLE (AP) Donald Ray Lottie convicted of setting a fire that killed two young children in June has been sentenced to two consecutive terms of life in prison Lottie was convicted of pouring gasoline through a mail slot at the hone and igniting it the night of June 11 He had been quarreling wife his girlfriend Cassandra Edwards the motha Ms Edwards attempted to rescue ha children but had to leap from an upstairs window to escape the fast spreading flames Killed in the blaze were Lajuane McClure 4 and Anitra McClure 5 The 29-year-old labora contended during his trial that he was in a drug daae at the time and rememba setting the fire still believe I am not fee kind of who would go out and do some-! like Lottie told King County Supertor Court Judge Peter Stoere at his sentencing feel that the decision that was handed down (by the Jury) was not what I deserved Weather and tides Tutie 40 40 WMMngtaa 77 Id Save $200 on Contemporary Sooting Elegance Hood your Mng room aMi taWi baauly wNM you owl your tamOy and guaat In top at haay Ong tow prtea buyt Sw ooto and Alaska In haurs ta I pm: High Ml at Yuma Arts Law ff 4 ItnilnAnn AAA ev am vavtetmei mil CANADA- High Law Pr Calgary 44 41 Edmeatea It 14 40 MantraW 90 14 Ottawa 99 11 Regina 90 14 Taraata 41 40 Winnipeg 49 11 Tribune dSNOMMOM) HgieklAw PaWM4aN El IMP uanpMy ui iia 9 State St Tacoma wash (MIL P09TMASTBE: Mad Newt Tribune PO Pet 110Mb Tacoma Wash MIL Subscription Petes Single espy dally 79c 40c Tamperaturas tar touthwwtorty wind ta IS mph 419 Daily enty monthly 449 Sunday only monthly 1M If kauri ending at I pm: Mgk (M aarmal 40 (M Cii law 40(00 normal M(MC) Precipitation aana aarmal JO I a cm) tinea Sapl I 171 India! (117 cm) last yaar Ml (477 cm) aarmal 141 (414 cm) tinea Jaa I ISS1 (40J0 cm) lata vaar 1101 (MH cm) a ar-maitl 71 IBM cm) 479 Daily anly monthly 109 Sunday only monthly 775 ta by kerne delivery payable la advance: MATCHING CHINA $488 Rtf 6599 Savu $200 on Country Rnu ter Your Dining Room Ewwy (hraI bocotnM a apacM occaakxi whan your dning room is re boauWul as thto IndudsK tabla wMi 2 toavga 1 arm chair 6 ottd chain ceast ethorwlie little ar aa chance at rain Highs la tha 40s (around It CL lasts la tha 4Bs (around 70 Tides TWRS FOR SATURDAV 1:77 am -01 taet am llttaet 1:44 pm 17 taet 7:17 p-m 171 teat Tide! at ecaaa haachas abeut five hears earn ar TIDES FOR SUNDAY fcManL -04 taet Ml am 11 teat 7:17 pm 44 taet fcltpm 117 taet TMw at ecaaa beaches ahsut (I ta 14 kmpti) Wight la mid tOt (around It fewi aaar (around 11 C) 1 COASTAL Cleudy and caal through tamer row with chance at a taw ihawari ar drlule at tlmei Aftaraaaa clearing tamarrew Southwesterly winds 10 mph (M ta kmph) MlglH In the mM and upper tfi (around It C) law la the mM 4k (around 7 0 MOUNTAINS: Same with (reeling level near tSM taet Wa Warty winds ta ft mph IS ta 14 kmph) Aftaraaaa paaa temperature la the Ml (around MCI INLAND WATERS: Same with MuthweW winds ta knots 1598 tea lave! at pm HO Inch-at (MW 7 me) ana toning (Akava lata racerded at See-Tac Airport) I Saturday 7:41 mate! Rear SI4SS Rl el pky aadwanhaariag 10 yawl tentag (ha ayi-S Air quality NO MATTH NOW MUCH TOU MAYS OYiRVOM INU1 TO MVIMOMV has a Gad mo ll-MS Oslo mo gad by And A PO Numbers Dally Sunday quarterly gM Dally only quarterly H4 Sunday only per copy tOc AR Other OtatatA Dally Sunday quarterlylOM Dally anly quarterly 1449 Sunday only per copy IM Per Suhocrlptiop end CirtSiaNeaepartnieat 597-8711 0 am ta-f paL Monday through Friday 4 Am ta ft 19 mw' average 8 SPta Temperatures ad mm mm h-ai (M tea kmph) STRAIT OP JUAN OR PUCA: five hears earlier aa Pittsburgh Portland at pm based Hit la a led MO warning scale 14 40 70 Rapid City 70 Pena 00 Elchmend 70 Louis Jd it P-Tnmpa 00 Sell Lake City S4 San Dioge 71 tea PreaciscA 44 St Me Marta 40 (It hears ta I pm Friday) PACIFIC MW- High Law Pr 70 44 40 79 40 40 40 01 40 01 04 40 7 41 40 74 41 40 70 40 QuMayuto 40 44 40 4 40 kaets(MMMkmpn) EASTERN WASHINGTON: A reeling trend with variable ctoudineu tirou)i teierrow Highs taday 40 ta 71 (around 11 C) end tomorrow la die 40i and tow 70s (around C) Laws la tha upper Ms and 4k (around 4 Cl EXTENDED at shawats ataap Me I 7 tun S2I-IV9I Forecast TACOMA ANO VICINITY: Meiffy deudy wtth a percent chance at Meat Miewero er drtt-We taday and tomorrow Partial 16226 tacMcIvowfi iacaad dots Postage Paid at 04 40 41.