The arraignment for a man potentially facing the death penalty in a Woodland triple homicide case was pushed back to later this month while his attorney conducts further investigation and assembles a defense team.
Brent Ward Luyster, 35, was in Clark County Superior Court on Monday to be arraigned on three counts of aggravated first-degree murder with the use of a firearm, attempted first-degree murder with the use of a firearm, and first- and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office last week amended the charges against Luyster to include aggravated murder, which allows for the possibility of the death penalty.
Luyster, who has been described by the Anti-Defamation League as a white supremacist, is accused of fatally shooting Joseph Mark Lamar, 38, Zachary David Thompson, 36, and Janell Renee Knight, 43, on July 15 at a rural home southeast of Woodland. A fourth victim, Breanne L.A. Leigh, 31, was seriously wounded. Luyster was apprehended the following day on Ocean Beach Highway, west of Longview.
His girlfriend, 27-year-old Andrea Sibley, was also in court Monday to be arraigned on first-degree rendering criminal assistance — a Class B felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. She pleaded not guilty to the charge and was given a trial date of Sept. 26. Judge Robert Lewis lowered her bail from $400,000 to $250,000.
Sibley is accused of being present at the time of the fatal shooting, driving Luyster away from the scene and assisting him in fleeing the area, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The two appeared separately in court.
Luyster initially was represented by Vancouver attorney Susan Stauffer, but was appointed new counsel during his hearing.
Veteran defense attorney Bob Yoseph was assigned to Luyster’s case because he is one of few attorneys designated by the Supreme Court to handle potential death penalty cases. Yoseph requested his client’s arraignment be set over while he investigates and presents evidence to the prosecution on why Luyster should not face capital punishment.
In the meantime, Luyster is being held at the Clark County Jail without the possibility of bail. Yoseph said he likely will address bail at Luyster’s new arraignment date Aug. 24.
Deputy Prosecutor James Smith, who is handling the homicide case along with Deputy Prosecutor Laurel Smith, did not indicate during the hearing whether they will seek the death penalty. The prosecution has 30 days from arraignment to file the notice.
State law allows prosecutors to pursue aggravated murder and capital punishment if any one of 14 factors apply to the case. An aggravating factor is any circumstance that increases the severity or culpability of a crime.
Gov. Jay Inslee announced in 2014 that he would suspend all executions in the state while he’s in office, but that doesn’t preclude prosecutors from pursuing capital punishment.
In a statement Monday, Inslee’s office said the governor won’t reconsider the moratorium in the face of crimes such as the Woodland triple homicide.
“The governor has been very clear this isn’t about individual cases but an unequal justice system that generates enormous costs and leaves families without closure,” Inslee’s deputy communications director Tara Lee wrote in an email.
The Daily News in Longview contributed to this report.
