By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The Winlock man accused of fatally shooting a trailer park neighbor has been found competent to stand trial, according to Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer.
Richard J. F. Roth
Richard Joseph Frank Roth, 65, is charged with first-degree murder in the Nov. 4 death of 64-year-old Jackie Marie Lawyer.
Roth’s attorney Mike Underwood had sent his client to the state mental hospital to be evaluated.
Attorneys went before Lewis County Superior Court Judge Richard Brosey today to share the findings and schedule a date for his trial.
It is set for the week of April 18, the same week as Ryan J. McCarthy, one of two men charged in August’s triple homicide in Onalaska.
Meyer said he understands from Brosey that if both those cases actually go to trial, it would be the first time ever two murder trials were being held simultaneously in Lewis County.
Meyer, the newly elected prosecutor, will be handling Roth’s prosecution.
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Read background on the November shooting here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter