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THURSDAY, 02.05.2015
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EVERETT, WASHINGTON
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WWW.HERALDNET.COM
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Man guilty of brutal murder Alan Smith is convicted of planning, carrying out estranged wife’s death
Amanda Foley
Bail set at $100K each
By Diana Hefley Herald Writer
EVERETT — In the end it was Alan Smith’s own words that convinced a Snohomish County judge that the Bothell man planned and carried out the brutal murder of his estranged wife. Superior Court Judge Linda Krese on Wednesday convicted Smith of first-degree murder in the February 2013 beating, stabbing and drowning death of Susann Smith. The judge spent several minutes outlining the evidence she heard at trial. She concluded that the physical evidence collected at scene and in the weeks after the slaying wasn’t strong enough on its own to prove that Smith was guilty of murder. Krese said Smith’s confession to a man he met at church did prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was responsible for the slaying. Smith kept his eyes closed through most of the judge’s presentation. His shoulders slumped and he cradled his chin in his hand as the lawyers worked out a sentencing date for later this month. The former Boeing engineer faces a minimum of 22 years in prison. Krese became the sole judge of the evidence when Smith, 39, opted to forgo a jury trial. The judge already had heard significant portions of the testimony in pre-trial motions. Even so, Snohomish County deputy prosecutors Craig Matheson and Katie Wetmore presented more than 600 exhibits and called more than a dozen witnesses to testify during the three-week trial. They alleged that Smith “went off the rails” over the ongoing divorce and child custody battle with his wife. He had racked up $15,000 in credit card debt in a year and feared that his wife was going to move their two children, ages 3 and 6, to her native Germany. He ranted to friends, coworkers and at least one girlfriend that his wife was evil and that the court system was rigged. He accused his wife of being an unfit parent and asked the court to assign a guardian ad-litem to investigate his allegations. A judge concluded that his claims were unfounded and declined his request.
Mark Dorson
Amanda Foley, who with her husband is accused of abandoning their children in a filthy home, is pregnant and had been using meth. By Rikki King Herald Writer
IAN TERRY / THE HERALD
Alan Smith reacts Wednesday at the Snohomish County Courthouse in Everett after hearing Judge Linda Krese announce he was guilty of first-degree murder.
About two weeks later, Susann Smith was found face down in a bathtub. Her killer bludgeoned and stabbed her nearly two dozen times before dragging her into the bathroom. She was still alive when she was placed in the bathtub. An autopsy revealed that she died of drowning. Alan Smith’s DNA was found on a washcloth under the slain woman’s body. An expert also testified that the bloody footprints found throughout the house were a match for the slight man’s feet. The bloody pattern found on the See GUILTY, Page A2
EVERETT — Bail was set at $100,000 each Wednesday for two parents accused of abandoning their children for days in a filthy house in Lake Stevens. Mark A. Dorson and Amanda A. Foley, both 32, were being held at the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of criminal mistreatment and abandonment of dependents. Because of Dorson’s felony history, he could face up to 3½ years in prison if convicted, deputy prosecutor Katie Wetmore said Wednesday in Everett District Court. Foley is three months pregnant and has been using methamphetamine, Wetmore said. The children would have been safer on the streets than in that house, she told the court. All three children — a 7-yearold girl, a 3-year-old boy and a 10-month-old boy — were placed in foster care, said Mindy Chambers, spokeswoman for the state Department of Social and Health Services. The state Wednesday was seeking a court order See CHILDREN, Page A2
Family friends of Susann Smith hear to the verdict.
Providence nurses turn to public about contract EVERETT — Registered nurses at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, whose contract expired in October, are taking their case to the public through
informational leafleting. Money, nurses say, is not the primary issue. Staffing levels are. Leafleting took place Tuesday on the hospital’s Colby and Pacific avenue campuses. Another leafleting event is scheduled for Feb. 11, said Tom Geiger,
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a spokesman for the United Food and Commercial Workers union Local 21. The nurses are working under a contract extension that runs through Feb. 24, he said. The union represents 1,400 of the hospital’s registered nurses. Negotiations have been
Post-mortem Painful memories: Everyone’s still talking about the goal line interception, but Herald Writer John Boyle points out a half-dozen other plays that cost the Seahawks dearly at Super Bowl XLIX (Page C1). Caution, rabid Hawk fans: Side effects of reading Dear Abby. . . .D5 Horoscope . . . B4
ongoing for five months, Geiger said. Management and union representatives met with a federal mediator Jan. 27. Additional talks are scheduled Feb. 17 and 24, he said. “I’ve heard stores of members saying they’ve been in situations
Boyle’s piece may include postgame stress disorder, salt in open sores syndrome and uncontrollable weeping every time you catch sight of a “12” flag on a passing car. “Downton” Down Under: A show called “A Place to Call Home,” now streaming on Acorn TV, is billed
Lottery . . . . . .A2 Northwest. . . . B1
Obituaries. . . .A5 Opinion. . . . . .A9
as an Australian version of “Downton Abbey” (Short Takes, Page D6). And it is just like “Downton,” except the characters prefer Fosters and Vegemite to Champagne and canapes, and dress for dinner by donning their best pair of flip-flops. Don’t know much about Short Takes . . .D6 Sports . . . . . . . C1
where they feel like they have too many things going on and feel like they’re short-staffed,” he said. “They do not feel like their employer has been willing to hear that concern.” See NURSES, Page A2
history: On this day in 1985, the mayors of Rome and Carthage signed a treaty ending the Punic Wars after 20 centuries (Today in History, Page D6). If the Romans and the Carthaginians can bury the hatchet after 2,000 years, maybe the Israelis and Palestinians … ah, never mind.
— Mark Carlson, Herald staff
Vigorous 54/47, C6
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