Trooper's husband and his sons to plead the Fifth at inquest
CHEHALIS, Wash. -- The long-awaited inquest into the 1998 shooting death of former state trooper Ronda Reynolds will soon get under way, but it may not bring closure to her mother.
Reynolds' husband and his three sons are trying to avoid testifying in the controversial case.
Thirteen years have passed since her death, but the Reynolds case still holds a tight grip on Lewis County. People still wonder how her body ended up on the floor of a closet in the master bedroom in Reynolds' home with a gunshot wound to her head.
On Friday, Lewis County Coroner Warren McCleod formally announced he'll hold an inquest to figure out, once and for all, whether Reynolds' death was suicide or murder.
"What I hope to accomplish is a final resolution in this 13-year-old case," he said. "The jury is going to say, 'This who it was, where it happened, when it happened, how it happened and this is what we believe is the manner of the death."'
In 1998, the county's then-coroner ruled Reynolds' death a suicide. In 2008, a KOMO News investigation uncovered new evidence and expert opinions that called that ruling into question. Reynolds' mother Barb Thompson sued to clear her daughter's name, and a jury unanimously found Reynolds did not kill herself.
Thompson hoped the inquest might finally bring closure; however, on Friday, she found out it might not.
The county coroner said Reynolds' husband and his sons have indicated they'll refuse to testify.
"They'll take the Fifth Amendment," Thompson said. "It means, 'I refuse to testify on the grounds it may tend to incriminate me."'
Reynolds' husband is considered a key witness. Investigators said it was he who discovered her body and called 911. Thompson claims Reynolds planned on leaving him the morning she died.
The inquest is scheduled to begin in a few weeks. Thompson said she remains hopeful the truth will finally come out . She already knows what happened, she said, and hopes everyone else will, too.
The coroner said he will soon decide whether to challenge the men's motion not to testify. Either way, he said the inquest will continue.
Reynolds' husband and his three sons are trying to avoid testifying in the controversial case.
Thirteen years have passed since her death, but the Reynolds case still holds a tight grip on Lewis County. People still wonder how her body ended up on the floor of a closet in the master bedroom in Reynolds' home with a gunshot wound to her head.
On Friday, Lewis County Coroner Warren McCleod formally announced he'll hold an inquest to figure out, once and for all, whether Reynolds' death was suicide or murder.
"What I hope to accomplish is a final resolution in this 13-year-old case," he said. "The jury is going to say, 'This who it was, where it happened, when it happened, how it happened and this is what we believe is the manner of the death."'
In 1998, the county's then-coroner ruled Reynolds' death a suicide. In 2008, a KOMO News investigation uncovered new evidence and expert opinions that called that ruling into question. Reynolds' mother Barb Thompson sued to clear her daughter's name, and a jury unanimously found Reynolds did not kill herself.
Thompson hoped the inquest might finally bring closure; however, on Friday, she found out it might not.
The county coroner said Reynolds' husband and his sons have indicated they'll refuse to testify.
"They'll take the Fifth Amendment," Thompson said. "It means, 'I refuse to testify on the grounds it may tend to incriminate me."'
Reynolds' husband is considered a key witness. Investigators said it was he who discovered her body and called 911. Thompson claims Reynolds planned on leaving him the morning she died.
The inquest is scheduled to begin in a few weeks. Thompson said she remains hopeful the truth will finally come out . She already knows what happened, she said, and hopes everyone else will, too.
The coroner said he will soon decide whether to challenge the men's motion not to testify. Either way, he said the inquest will continue.
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