Judge lets lawyer quit teen's case

EVERETT — A Snohomish County Superior Court judge has allowed the lawyer of a 14-year-old girl charged with first-degree murder to withdraw from the case.

Seattle attorney Michele Shaw asked to be removed from the case after her client, Heather Opel, wrote prosecutors indicating she wanted to accept a plea offer to avoid the possibility of a stiffer sentence.

Opel said in her letter that Shaw would not discuss the matter with her.

Shaw's reasons for asking to be taken off Opel's case involved attorney-client privilege and therefore were not discussed in court. But Judge Linda Krese said she was satisfied the action was warranted and that another attorney would be appointed. Prosecutors said the change could delay the case, which is scheduled for trial in June.

Opel, charged as an adult, is one of five teens accused in the beating and stabbing death of 64-year-old Jerry Heimann at his Everett home last year.

Woman walking dog finds body in ravine near Renton

RENTON — A woman walking her dog near the Renton city limits yesterday found a human body in a shallow ravine.

Deputies have not found any indication of foul play and are looking into a couple of recent reports of elderly people missing from the area, said a King County sheriff's spokesman.

The body was found about two blocks east of Valley General Medical Center, he said.

Granite Falls man found guilty in neighbor's death

EVERETT — A Granite Falls man accused of fatally shooting his neighbor last year was convicted yesterday of second-degree murder.

A Snohomish County jury deliberated for three days before finding Kenneth Charles Jensen, 58, guilty of killing Martin Frank. The two had feuded for years.

Prosecutors said that on Aug. 8, Jensen walked into the Granite Falls police station, handed over a .357-caliber Magnum and said, "I just shot Frank."

He was tried last year, but the jury could not reach a verdict, splitting 9-3 in favor of acquitting Jensen. He had claimed he acted in self-defense.

Jensen's sentencing is scheduled for May 15.

Court extends sentence of woman who shot husband

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that a Washington woman who shot and wounded her husband got off too easy and ordered her five-year sentence extended.

A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel, ruling on the case for a third time, said defendant Brenda Lee Working must be resentenced under federal guidelines a judge breached.

A year after the 1997 shooting, Working was sentenced to a mandatory five years for using a .38-caliber handgun in the crime.

However, she was sentenced to only one day for pleading guilty to assault with intent to commit first-degree murder, based in part on a history of abusive behavior by her husband, Michael.

Guidelines would have demanded she receive more than seven years for that count.

The woman admitted luring her husband to a wooded area at Fort Lewis in August 1997 with a claim of car trouble, then shooting him. He was wounded in the arm and shoulder before punching her and running away.

2 Seattle Center plays canceled after blackout

SEATTLE — A power glitch caused by damaged underground yesterday forced Seattle Center to cancel two performances last night. The blackout later spread to the entire Center grounds after a Seattle Sonics game ended.

The initial failure occurred at 3 p.m., causing officials to cancel "Titus Andronicus" at the Intiman Theatre and the Seattle Repertory Theatre's "Obon: Tales of Rain and Moonlight."

Shortly after 10 p.m., Seattle City Light crews cut power to the Center to repair damaged equipment that distributes power from a main cable to other buildings. A handful of nearby businesses also were affected.

For new tickets or reimbursement, contact the Seattle Rep box office, 206-443-2210, or the Intiman box office, 206-269-1900.

Information is from Seattle Times staff and news services.