Clark County Superior Court Judge Robert Lewis on Tuesday granted triple-murder suspect Brent Ward Luyster a second defense attorney for his case.
Lewis appointed Vancouver attorney Steve Rucker as co-counsel with Luyster’s current attorney, Chuck Buckley.
Buckley requested that another attorney join him on the case during a review hearing Monday morning.
In his motion, Buckley stated that there are about 12,500 pages of reports, 27 audio and video interviews, photos of the alleged crime scene and other locations, jail records, material from the Department of Corrections, 60 potential witnesses, more than a half-dozen expert witnesses for the defense, potentially 15 witness interviews and more than 500 trial exhibits.
He argued the case is more complex than he initially thought and that the amount of work requires a second attorney. Luyster is scheduled for trial Oct. 30.
Luyster, 36, a known white supremacist, is accused of fatally shooting three people and injuring a fourth at a Woodland home in July. He’s also accused in an attempted escape from the Clark County Jail in February. He’s facing multiple charges — the most serious being aggravated first-degree murder, which is the only charge in Washington that carries the possibility of the death penalty. However, the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced earlier this year it will not seek capital punishment in the case.
Lewis previously denied Luyster’s former attorneys the opportunity to both stay on as counsel, following the prosecution’s decision. He said at the time that having two attorneys would be an unnecessary cost to taxpayers.
In his decision to appoint co-counsel, Lewis did not state why he changed his mind. He did not return a call for comment Wednesday afternoon.
