Marshawn Lynch’s actions speak loud enough C1
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Murder confession alleged Wendell Morris Jr. testifies he wasn’t acting as a clergyman when Alan Smith admitted killing his wife. By Diana Hefley Herald Writer
EVERETT — Alan Smith allegedly confessed to killing his wife to a man he barely knew and then had the man baptize him hours later. Wendell Morris Jr. testified Wednesday that Smith came to
him for help in June 2013. The two had met at a church potluck a few weeks earlier. Smith was a suspect in his wife’s killing and his relationship with a mentally ill woman was unraveling. He and the woman recently had been asked not to return to the church that Morris attended. “I’m walking off the ledge,”
Morris recalled an emotional Smith saying as they sat outside a Seattle Starbucks. Morris wanted to share God’s teachings with Smith. He also wanted to make sure the Bothell man was being truthful with him about the death of Smith’s wife. Morris pressed Smith for an answer during their second meeting. “‘I want you to know I did it. I did it to her,’” Morris quoted Smith saying during testimony
Wednesday. The admission came as the two walked along Lake Union in Seattle, he said. A couple of days later Morris called police and repeated the conversation to detectives. Smith was arrested that day, four months after Susann Smith, 37, was found beaten, stabbed and drowned in her Bothell home. Snohomish County See TRIAL, back page, this section
Lofty potential for drones Real estate is among possible commercial uses for the remote-controlled craft By Dan Catchpole Herald Writer
See DRONES, Page A2
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Real estate agent Toby Barnett takes a moment Tuesday to position his DJI Phantom 2 drone during a portrait outside a home he is selling in Bothell. Barnett has been using a drone since October to capture aerial footage inside and out of houses he is listing.
the buzz
BOTHELL — Toby Barnett set the small, white, four-rotor drone down on the driveway, stepped back and powered it up. The drone zoomed up above the two-story Bothell home, buzzing like a cloud of angry hornets. The drone swept around the home, shooting video that Barnett will use in listing it for sale. Then he brought the craft in low, threading it between a trellis and up to the home’s front door. Aerial video “just has that wow factor,” said the Marysville-based real estate agent — and self-described tech geek. And it can be done quickly and cheaply with a drone — or unmanned aerial system (UAS), as they are called by the aerospace industry. Real estate photography is just one of myriad potential commercial uses for drones. The commercial and civil UAS markets could be worth about $8 billion a year over the next decade, according to the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. However, growth in those markets has been hampered by lack of regulations. Commercial uses have been banned altogether while the Federal Aviation Administration works on how to integrate drones that weigh less than 55 pounds into the national airspace. The FAA is well into the process but won’t say when it plans to have a proposed rule finished. In the meantime, the agency is granting case-by-case exemptions. The FAA granted its first exemption for use in real estate to an agent in Arizona in early January. Barnett applied for one earlier this month but doesn’t expect to hear back for several months. Since October, he has used a drone to film seven homes as test cases for the safe-operating procedures and maintenance program that he outlined in his FAA application. Last week, the FAA granted two more exemptions, both for aerial photography and cinematography. So far, the agency has approved 16 exemptions out of nearly 300 applications nationwide. Drones are great for shooting real estate, especially large properties and homes with desirable views, Barnett said.
VOL. 114, NO. 352 © 2015 THE DAILY HERALD CO.
INSIDE
Business . . . . .A9 Classified . . . . B2
Comics . . . . . .D4 Crossword . . .D4
New plane smell Don’t forget to order the undercoating: The U.S. Air Force has announced the replacement for the current aircraft used as Air Force One: Boeing’s 747-8. Delivery could happen as early as 2018 (Page A9). Hopefuls have already contacted Boeing with their Dear Abby. . . .D5 Horoscope . . . B4
preferences. Jeb Bush wants a big “45” painted on the side of the plane, next to a smaller “41” and a “43” for his dad and brother. Hillary Clinton wants a walk-in closet for her pantsuits. And Mitt Romney wants 1 percent of the seats to be first class and the rest coach. Rocky Mountain high:
Lottery . . . . . .A2 Northwest. . . . B1
Obituaries. . . .A7 Opinion. . . . .A11
Denver’s airport has banned the sale of pot-themed souvenirs because it doesn’t want the cannabis kitsch to taint the state’s image (Page A8). Oh, no you don’t, Colorado. You and Washington state went all in with this. If you’re going to profit from pot, you’re going to have to sell a few marijuana-leaf boxer shorts. Short Takes . . .D6 Sports . . . . . . . C1
OSO MUDSLIDE
A team effort for victim’s mother Randi Green, who shared a love of the Seahawks with her son, Denver Harris, is going to the Super Bowl thanks to family and friends. By Kari Bray Herald Writer
DARRINGTON — Denver Harris’ favorite colors were Seahawks blue and green. He liked red a lot, too, his mom said. But Randi Green steered her son toward their favorite team’s colors. He loved to deck himself out in Seahawks gear and watch Denver Harris the games. The 14-year-old came from a family of dedicated fans. “I’d be screaming at the TV and he’d say, ‘Mom, you know they can’t hear you,’” Green recalled. They might be able to hear her Sunday. She’s going to the Super Bowl to cheer on the team that provided a special bond for her and her son. Denver was one of 43 people killed in the Oso mudslide last year. Friends have described him as fun and funny, with a lot of energy and a love for sports and the outdoors. This year, Green threw herself into football in her son’s memory. “He loved the Seahawks,” she said. “The Seahawks have been amazing for me to focus on and get my mind off things.” When the team secured a spot in the Super Bowl, Green’s friends and family wanted to make sure she could be there. “We know that Denver’s cheering his mom on up there,” said Julie Newberry, a family friend. She helped coordinate a fundraiser to pay for Green’s trip to Super Bowl XLIX. People donated airline miles to get her to Arizona and offered places to stay once she landed. Newberry asked her friend Tony Mace to help her raise money for the tickets. Mace is a firefighter who helped with search efforts and volunteered with North County Family Services after the mudslide. He started an online campaign for Green five days ago See TEAM, back page, this section
Don’t know much about history: On this day in 1845, Edgar Allen Poe’s poem “The Raven” was first printed in the New York Evening Mirror (Page D6). Which is why, when someone asks a newspaper today to print a poem that he or she has written, an editor cries, “Nevermore!”
—Jon Bauer, Herald staff
Dribble 52/42, C6
DAILY
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Air Force taps Boeing 747-8 for presidential fleet A9
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