Orozco trial to begin Aug. 20

DAYTON-—A trial in the case of the State vs. Benjamin Orozco is going forward, with jury selection taking place on the morning of Tues., Aug. 20, in Columbia County Superior Court, according to the County Prosecuting Attorney Dale Slack.

Orozco was taken into custody in San Francisco, Nayarit Mexico in March, 2016. He was brought to the U.S. and served at the Tri-Cities Regional Airport on Dec. 15, 2016.

He was arraigned in the Columbia County Superior Court, on Dec. 21, and charged with second degree murder, in the July, 1996 shooting death of Dayton resident Lance Terry, and first degree assault in the wounding of Dayton resident David Eaton, and he entered a not guilty plea on all charges.

Since then, an additional charge has been added, Slack said.

“Since they have declared, formally, in writing, that they are going to be seeking a self-defense defense, that means that I anticipate he is going to be admitting that he had the firearm that killed Lance Terry and injured David Eaton, and so we charged him with unlawful possession of a firearm,” Slack explained.

Orozco had a prior felony and was not allowed to possess a firearm, Slack said.

Orozco has been incarcerated at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, where he has undergone multiple medical treatments, mainly for a leg infection.

“It’s been a huge burden for the Sheriff’s Department,” Slack said about associated costs.

Slack said his office has offered a couple of plea deals to Orozco’s attorneys, which have not been accepted. He said testimony for the prosecution is expected to take four days.

“I’m anticipating we will probably take the first week, and then maybe two or three, days out of the second,” Slack said.

Orozco is represented by Attorney Jane Richards of Asotin, Wash. Superior Court Judge M. Scott Wolfram of Walla Walla is presiding over the trial.