Updated 12:25 p.m. Saturday October 8, 2011
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod released a tentative schedule today of which witnesses will testify when during the inquest into the controversial 1998 death of former trooper Ronda Reynolds which begins on Monday.
[1]Ronda Reynolds
New to the witness list originally released a little more than a month ago are a friend and co-workers of Ronda Reynolds, the mother of Ron Reynolds, a neighbor, a retired forensic expert C. Vaughn and a set of Lewis County detectives who investigated new leads as recently as last year.
The courtroom is expected to have seating available for 20 members of the public, on a first come, first served basis each day.
It’s been some 50 years since a coroner’s inquest has been held in Lewis County, as best McLeod has been able to figure.
Reynolds, 33, was found dead early on the morning of of Dec. 16, 1998 and the case was closed as a suicide by the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office in May of 1999.
She was discovered with a bullet in her head on a closet floor in the Toledo home she shared with her new husband, Toledo Elementary School Principal Ron Reynolds. The couple were separating and she had plans to fly home to her family in Spokane later that morning.
Over the years, the manner of death was changed by the coroner back and forth between suicide and undetermined as it was reinvestigated and then more recently underwent a judicial review.
The inquiry comes as newly elected McLeod has attempted to comply with court orders given to his predecessor, ex-Coroner Terry Wilson.
Not on the witness list are Ron Reynolds and his three sons who were at the house when the first deputy arrived, but have asserted the privilege against self incrimination and are excused by McLeod from appearing.
McLeod today indicated he has set aside the first half of Monday for selection of an inquest jury of five, plus two alternates.
The first of more than 40 witnesses may take the stand after lunch, depending upon how long it takes to seat the panel of jurors, according to McLeod.
The first batch of witnesses are individuals who were on the scene that morning almost 13 years ago, and the later witnesses are primarily experts and individuals who looked at evidence and reports.
McLeod’s tentative schedule has the last witness testifying a week from Tuesday.
The proceedings will be held in Lewis County District Court in Chehalis and begin at 9 a.m. each week day.
Following is the tentative schedule:
Monday Oct. 10
Morning 9 a.m. until noon
• Selection of inquest jury
Monday Oct. 10
Afternoon, 1:30 p.m. until 4:45 p.m.
• Janice Neilsen – emergency medical technician
• Gary Holt – retired Lewis County sheriff’s deputy
• Robert Bishop – former Lewis County sheriff’s deputy
• Steve Aust – Lewis County Sheriff’s Office commander
• Glade Austin – retired Lewis County sheriff’s detective’s sergeant
Tuesday Oct. 11
Morning, 9 a.m. until noon
• Glade Austin, continued
• Dave Neiser – retired Lewis County sheriff’s detective
Tuesday Oct. 11
Afternoon, 1:30 p.m. until 4:45 p.m.
• Jerry Berry – retired Lewis County sheriff’s detective
• Carmen Brunton – former Lewis County coroner’s chief deputy
• Dr. Daniel Selove – forensic pathologist who conducted autopsy
• Joe Doench – retired Lewis County sheriff’s chief criminal deputy
• Gordon Spanski – retired Lewis County undersheriff
Wednesday Oct. 12
Morning, 9 a.m. until noon
• Laurie Hull – friend
• David Bell – friend
• Tom Lahmman – former Toledo School District superintendent
Wednesday Oct. 12
Afternoon, 1:30 p.m. until 4:45 p.m.
• N. Weller – co-worker of deceased
• D. Pearson – co-worker of deceased
• B. Rodriguez, neighbor of deceased
• Juanita Vaughn -friend of deceased
• Cathryn Hatulla (sp) – Ron Reynolds’ ex-wife
Thursday Oct. 13
Morning, 9 a.m. until noon
• Mark Liburdi – decedent’s ex-husband
• Vernon Geberth – homicide expert
• Barbara Thomspon – mother of decedent
Thursday Oct. 13
Afternoon, 1:30 p.m. until 4:45 p.m.
• George Fox – former Attorney General’s Office investigator
• Ronald Wojciechowski – Washington State Patrol crime lab
• Kenneth McDermott – Washington State Patrol crime lab
• David Stritzke – Washington State Patrol crime lab
• C. Vaughn – retired forensic expert
• Joe Upton – handwriting examiner
• Jill Bartlett – Washington State Patrol fingerprint division
• Gary Aschenbach – forensic statement analyst
• Laura Reynolds – mother of Ron Reynolds
Friday Oct. 14
Morning, 9 a.m. until noon
• Marty Hayes – firearms examination
• Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds- pathologist
• Terry Ball – polygraph expert
• Marty Hayes – again, if needed
• Dr. John Demakas – pathologist
Friday Oct. 14
Afternoon, 1:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.
• Steve Birley – polygraph expert
• Rod Englert – forensic expert
• Sherri Murphy – former Washington state trooper
Monday Oct. 17
Morning, 9 a.m. until noon
• Kevin Englebertson – Lewis County Sheriff’s Office detective
• Jamey McGinty – Lewis County Sheriff’s Office detective
• Bruce Kimsey – Lewis County Sheriff’s Office detective
• Dusty Breen – Lewis County Sheriff’s Office detective sergeant
Tuesday Oct. 18
Morning, 9 a.m. until noon
• Dusty Breen – continued
• Isabelle Williams – Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, evidence
•••
See the rules governing the procedures for McLeod’s coroner’s inquest, here [2]
For some background and to see the roles some of the above individuals may have played, read “Jury finds coroner erred in ruling former trooper’s death a suicide”, here [3]