Wash. to pay $3 million settlement for killings by ex-con
CENTRALIA, Wash. (AP) - Washington state has agreed to pay $3 million to settle a lawsuit over the killings of three people and the wounding of a fourth by an ex-con in August 2010.
The families of the murder victims - Salkum resident DJ West, 16, his father, David West, and Tony Williams, 50, of Mineral - alleged that the Department of Corrections did a terrible job monitoring the con, even though he was supposed to be closely supervised.
The DOC didn't do any of the field checks or drug tests required of the offender, John Allen Booth Jr., or of another ex-con convicted in connection with the crimes, Ryan J. McCarthy, the families' lawyer, Nathan Roberts, of Tacoma, told The Chronicle newspaper of Centralia.
The DOC launched an internal investigation and fired the corrections officer who was supposed to be supervising them, Seth Skipworth, 34.
"After the shootings occurred, there was a lot of attention brought to the fact that they were felons that were supposed to be supervised," Roberts said. "The officer simply was not doing his job."
Booth was released from prison about nine months before the killings, after serving five years of a seven-year sentence for bludgeoning a man's head with a crowbar in Centralia in 2004. He has a long history of violent crime in Lewis County dating to his early teens.
He was convicted of the killings last year and of attempted murder for the shooting of David West Sr.'s girlfriend, Denise Salts, 53, of Randle. Salts survived a gunshot to the face.
Booth is serving life without parole.
According to testimony in the case, Booth and McCarthy went to the home "tax" West Sr. for a drug debt Booth claimed to be owed, then shot the adults before pulling West Jr. out of bed and making him kneel next to his dying father.
Booth smirked and acted up throughout his trial, and drew gasps from the courtroom when he told a deputy prosecutor, "I'm thinking about shooting you." The jury took just two hours to convict him.
McCarthy is serving a 14-year sentence for robbery, burglary and attempted extortion. He acknowledged being at the West residence when the killing occurred but maintained he had nothing to do with the shootings.
"The heinous murders that John Allen Booth Jr. committed caused unbearable heartache for multiple families," DOC spokesman Chad Lewis said in a written statement. "We hope these settlements help his victims' families with their loss."
The families of the murder victims - Salkum resident DJ West, 16, his father, David West, and Tony Williams, 50, of Mineral - alleged that the Department of Corrections did a terrible job monitoring the con, even though he was supposed to be closely supervised.
The DOC didn't do any of the field checks or drug tests required of the offender, John Allen Booth Jr., or of another ex-con convicted in connection with the crimes, Ryan J. McCarthy, the families' lawyer, Nathan Roberts, of Tacoma, told The Chronicle newspaper of Centralia.
The DOC launched an internal investigation and fired the corrections officer who was supposed to be supervising them, Seth Skipworth, 34.
"After the shootings occurred, there was a lot of attention brought to the fact that they were felons that were supposed to be supervised," Roberts said. "The officer simply was not doing his job."
Booth was released from prison about nine months before the killings, after serving five years of a seven-year sentence for bludgeoning a man's head with a crowbar in Centralia in 2004. He has a long history of violent crime in Lewis County dating to his early teens.
He was convicted of the killings last year and of attempted murder for the shooting of David West Sr.'s girlfriend, Denise Salts, 53, of Randle. Salts survived a gunshot to the face.
Booth is serving life without parole.
According to testimony in the case, Booth and McCarthy went to the home "tax" West Sr. for a drug debt Booth claimed to be owed, then shot the adults before pulling West Jr. out of bed and making him kneel next to his dying father.
Booth smirked and acted up throughout his trial, and drew gasps from the courtroom when he told a deputy prosecutor, "I'm thinking about shooting you." The jury took just two hours to convict him.
McCarthy is serving a 14-year sentence for robbery, burglary and attempted extortion. He acknowledged being at the West residence when the killing occurred but maintained he had nothing to do with the shootings.
"The heinous murders that John Allen Booth Jr. committed caused unbearable heartache for multiple families," DOC spokesman Chad Lewis said in a written statement. "We hope these settlements help his victims' families with their loss."
We really do need to get much more liberal with the death penalty. Anyone who is deemed not worthy to be in society for more than a couple of years, needs to be eradicated. Our air is precious.
Put this evil maggot to death via sufuric acid enema !
 @ZIPPY I'll agree with death but not the torture part.
bobalouie
Pretty easy to see why. There's no one left to vote for. Whether you're liberal or conservative there are no liberals or conservatives to vote for any more. If they're not pigs before they get into office they certainly are within 6 months of being elected. I didn't vote in the primary either and I usually always vote. There's no one running. So come November the only logical way to vote is to vote against the incumbents in all offices.
This is disgusting.
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The truly sad part is; in the primarys we elected these same pukes to rinse and repeat. Good job Voters.
We had a 38% turnout. So 20% of the population dictates who goes to the November ballot.
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ONE FIFTH!
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One in FIVE voters is making the rules.
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Excuse me while I go wretch my guts out.
Served 5 years of a 7 year sentence for bludgeoning a mans head with a crowbar? Â There is the problem. Â Attempted murderers getting 7 year sentences. Â Bashing someones head in with a crowbar is attempted murder with no grey area at all, was he convicted just for assault? Â Guys like this being allowed to walk our streets completely ends the debate about civilians having the right to have a gun.Â
Seth is an example of the stereotypical state worker....He was useless when he worked at Green Hill for JRA...and moved on to continue to be worthless.
@K00lGuy ...intereresting that he moved from juvenile to adult corrections. Typically the juvie workers are much more qualified and dedicated. (I'm former DOC).Â
He is just evil, pure evil. The only punishment fitting for someone like him is something slow, painful and heinous.
Enter Washington State stage right. Well it was because of budget cut backs and now look this is what happened. Give me a break You watch thatâs what the dems will sayâ¦Â Once they get up out of bed.Â
So... the Captain of a ship can be relievd of Command because his ship hit another ship in the middle of the night even though the Captain was alseep at the time of the incident. Yet only one person was fired for not keeping an eye on this guy.  hhhmmmm....
@Jeff Valdez DOC has always been about scapegoats....
Mainly caused by the apathetic welfare workers that we are forced to employ. They just don't care. They make way more money and benefits than those employed in private industry but yet we don't get any value for our dollar. If you don't believe me talk to some of the workers in state employ. Go look around Western State Hospital and see the results of too much money. It all goes to wages and benefits and nothing to fix the issues.
And then when they screw up look who gets left with the tab.
you know that there must be 5 layers of management for this one corrections officerrt. They should have cleaned house, this in annual salaries should have paid a large chunk of that bill.
How about doing the job and monitoring ex cons. And hows about the public paying for it like we are supposed to.
Ok, so you hold one guy accountable. This is huge. The ax should fall on more than just one guy. I know he had bosses. Who provides the cash for this crap? $3 million would buy a lot of pavement.
This guy deserves to die screaming.