Hunter gets 1 1/2 years for manslaughter

[Ten Bears]

I posted the article/story in Sportsmans Issues (S.I.), but I know that nonmembers can't view it there. Should it have been posted here, or should the "guests" sign up to read it there??????

 

[Ten Bears]

Hunter gets 1 1/2 years for manslaughter
Posted: Friday, Jul 14, 2006 - 11:52:02 pm PDT
By TOM GREENE
Staff writer

ST. MARIES -- A Hayden man who shot and killed another hunter after legal hunting hours was sentenced to at least one and a half years in prison Friday.

1st District Judge Fred Gibler sentenced Raleigh Paul Turley, 24, to one and a half years in prison fixed followed by three and a half years indeterminate for the felony involuntary manslaughter of Casey Lawson, 30, of Tekoa, Wash.

Benewah County Prosecutor Douglas P. Payne said of more than 700 cases and 12 years as a prosecutor "this is the most emotionally difficult case I've dealt with in my career."

"It was a very emotionally-wrenching case. Probably more so than more serious crimes because of the gravity


of the loss," Payne said. "People need to think of that before they pull the trigger: Are they sure?"

Turley fatally shot Lawson on Nov. 27, 2005, at about 4:45 p.m., which was 10 to 15 minutes past legal hunting hours. Lawson was in an open field about 100 yards away when Turley shot at what he reportedly said was a "flash of white." Payne said Lawson was wearing a florescent orange hat, but it was too dark to see it.

Turley had been warned by members of the Lawson family -- who are leasing the land from the Coeur d'Alene tribe -- not to hunt in that area.

"He'd been asked to leave the property two weeks before. Then the day before (Lawson was killed) he was told not to hunt there because they would be hunting the next day," Payne said. "It was highly reckless."

Turley pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in a plea agreement. Payne said Turley has accepted responsibility for Lawson's death and did not attempt to flee the scene so he did not ask Gibler to impose the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

"In this case that (avoiding responsibility) did not happen. Turley stayed there, offered aid and told the police the truth," Payne said. "He had no criminal record whatsoever."

Turley also received a lifetime suspension of his right to hunt in Idaho and will have to pay $8,000 in restitution. Payne said the Lawson family has asked that part of the restitution go to support hunter safety programs.

"Hunters need to be absolutely certain of what they are aiming a rifle at when they are shooting," Payne said. "For everyone involved, it was an terrible tragedy."


http://www.cdapress.com/articles/200...ews/news03.txt

Turley awaits transfer to prison
Could be in Wallace jail for several months

St. Maries Gazette Record
By Ralph Bartholdt
Malt-o-meal, toast, pears and milk.

Ten days after being sentenced for shooting a hunter last year 24-year-old Raleigh Turley is still in the Benewah County Jail awaiting transport to the penitentiary.

He doesn’t take coffee. He reads a lot.

It could be several days before he leaves the jail for another facility, probably in Shoshone County.

It may be tomorrow.

Once he’s in Shoshone County, the wait will continue.

“I’ve had inmates for two or three months, until they get enough room (in Boise), or a transport for them,” said Benewah County Jail Commander Cindy Schultz.

Lunch is chicken alfredo with noodles, supper is soup and sandwiches.

Because he’s a state prisoner, the 24-year old is confined to the maximum security hold at the College Avenue jail taking meals three times per day in the white cell with the strip of block windows that diffuse the sunlight.

His parents and friends regularly stop in to see him.

“He’s had lots of visitors,” the jail commander said.

The state pays Benewah County $40 to house their inmates.

Most state inmates - those destined for the Idaho Department of Correction facility in Boise - are moved from Benewah County to a larger jail in Shoshone County before being transported to prison.

Because Idaho’s prison population has almost doubled in the last 10 years causing overcrowding and requiring inmates be moved to facilities in Minnesota and Texas, it could be a while before space is available in a state penitentiary.

Turnover time, once a state inmate is placed at Shoshone County, is between four and six months said Capt. Rick Smith, Shoshone County jail commander.

“There are a lot of stipulations,” he said. “But, I imagine he could be here up to six months.”

Locked behind bars in the county jail’s max cell - a former Navy brig - Mr. Turley spends his time paging paperbacks and puzzle books.

“He does like to read,” Mrs. Schultz said. “He always has books back there.”

Raleigh Turley pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter for killing Casey Lawson in November while deer hunting near Tensed. He was sentenced July 14 to five years in prison, but could be paroled within 11/2 years.

He will also reimburse the Lawson family $8,000 and lose his hunting privileges for life.

At the sentencing hearing Benewah County Prosecuting Attorney Doug Payne said he considered two factors before making a recommendation to First District Judge Fred Gibler.

One: the 24-year-old took responsibility for the shot that killed Mr. Lawson in a bluegrass field. He went for help. He co-operated with police and he pleaded guilty to the slaying.

Those are the mitigating factors, he said.

“He never lied about it,” Mr. Payne said.

Two: He was told not to hunt the area. He trespassed. He shot after dark.

Those, the aggravating factors.

“It was very reckless conduct,” he said.

Mr. Payne recommended that Turley be sentenced to five years (two years fixed and three indeterminate) with all but six months suspended. He asked that the 24-year-old make a hunter education video and spend 480 hours community service time associated with hunter education, and that Turley pay $8,000 to the victim’s family for costs they accrued since their son’s death.

After sentencing, Nick Lawson, the victim’s father, asked that $3,000 of the restitution be donated to hunter education. The remaining money would be used to pay the helicopter ambulance bill.

When there is room in Shoshone County, Mr. Turley will load into a van and find another cell. And he’ll continue to wait.
http://www.smgazette.com/news/news3.php

 

[JohnSWA]

A very sad story on all sides.

 

[4XHOSS]

it is good that he fessed up however this is why their are rules/laws on hunting times. and this is a reason some people are not allowing hunting on private property. I say an eye for an eye stop filling up jails with tax payer $$'s

 

[Ten Bears]

Hunting should be safe

by Kaisie Brede
As the wife and mother of licensed Idaho hunters it scares me to think there are people like Raleigh Turley in the woods, packing high-powered rifles.

Raleigh Turley will be sentenced Friday for the late November shooting death of Casey Lawson. No matter what sentence Judge Fred Gibler hands down – be it a lengthy jail time, parole, community service, or a combination of all three – Raleigh Turley’s hunting privileges should be taken away and he should never hunt again.

I still remember the look on my husband’s face the night we got the phone call that Casey Lawson had been shot by another hunter.

He answered the phone knowing it was probably his friend, Josh, calling to brag on a successful hunt. He quickly grew pale and quiet, he slowly shook his head and shed a tear. He shed a tear for Casey’s parents, his fiancé, his friend. On hearing of his death, I shed a tear for all those reasons and one more; it could have been my husband, my son, my daughter walking through the field after a day of hunting and shot by such a careless hunter.

Before my hunters head to the woods, I tell them in my most stern voice “Be safe”. Their response… “Always”. It scares me to know that no matter how “safe” they think they might be, there could be Raleigh Turley or someone like him, hunting in the same field or the same woods.

I’m sure Casey thought he was safe walking across the field to meet his friend and hunting partner after spending the day hunting. But Casey wasn’t safe because of another hunter’s total disregard of the law. Raleigh Turley shot after dark, after it was too dark to know what he was shooting, in a field he didn’t have permission to hunt.

Some refer to Casey’s death as a “hunting accident”, I disagree. It was not an accident; Raleigh Turley intended to kill his target when he shot across the field.

When someone breaks the law they should be punished. Raleigh Turley broke the law when he shot and killed Casey Lawson and should be punished so that such senseless deaths might be prevented in the future.

Then maybe, and only maybe, I will be able to believe my hunters when they answer my command to be safe.

- Kaisie Brede is on staff at the Gazette Record.
http://cc.msnscache.com/cache.aspx?q=3861000646682&lang=en-US&mkt=en-US&FORM=CVRE

 

[Dangerous Dave]

I'll never forget seeing the film I was shown in the early 60's when I took my hunter safety course. Man, about a dozen real people laying there as dead as doornails with bullet holes in their bodies and blood pouring out...whew! Sobered me up real quick. Just like most hunters on this site, I'm constantly questioning myself and studying situations to be absolutely sure that I or someone else isn't about to do anything dangerous. I gotta know where everyone is during drives for safety reasons, and don't shoot until I do. No lobbing bullets at bucks on any skylines.
Two years ago I had a chance to snap-shoot at a 4X4 I had chased into some junipers. It should have been the same deer... but WAS it? All I could see was a body and a set of legs -no head or horns. It gave the buck barely the time he needed to blow out over the top of the ridge. I finally saw his antlers as he reached the skyline.
Why didn't I shoot? I simply wasn't sure of my target. Not only would it be bad form to shoot the wrong deer (doe?), I also didn't know if my hunting partners were in that same pile of junipers. I beat myself to death trying to shoot a buck on that trip, but a chancey shot into the brush like that is EXACTY how accidents happen. My condolences to Casey Lawson's family.

 

[carbonarcher]

I am extremely pleased to see that Raleigh Turley lost hunting priveleges for life. Lets hope he is not like many who really couldn't care less about having priveleges revoked and continue to hunt. Thankfully he was convicted of a felony which makes it illegal for further posession of firearms, but I don't really want to share even the bow woods with someone who has been told he was trespassing twice, and then told not to be there the next day and came back anyway. He showed a complete and utter disregard for the law or for law abiding hunters by just going back to that property.

I hope for further articles that Raleigh is referred to as what he is, a killer. I don't want to further hear him referred to as a "hunter", because that is exactly what he is not. As stated above, this was no accident. Casey was in the MIDDLE of a wide open field, he had a hunters orange hat on. I don't want to share the rifle or bow woods with someone who can take a shot like that and not know what he is shooting at. "A flash of white", jesus, makes me sick to my stomach.

 

[Ten Bears]

I'm glad he lost the hunting license for life, but I think if he didn't listen to the landowner to stayoff the land, I don't think he's gonna quit hunting either.