‘Umapine 3’ seek to settle
Published 5:00 pm Thursday, March 27, 2014
Two of the three men charged with murder in Umapine are moving toward plea deals in the cases against them.
Caleb Leon John Scott, 22, aims to have a settlement conference in late April, according to court records. And a deal soon could be in the works for Jacob Lee White, 19.
Scott and White are two of three men the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office charged in the January 2013 home invasion and subsequent death of Joyce Key of Umapine. Scott and White have pleaded not guilty to three counts each of murder and charges of kidnapping, robbery and burglary. Both are in the Umatilla County Jail, Pendleton.
White had a status check on his case Wednesday morning in the Pendleton courtroom of Umatilla County Circuit Judge Christopher Brauer. White appeared via video from the jail, and his attorney, Brendon Alexander of Bend, addressed the court over the phone.
Alexander said he continued to prepare his case and expected to have a psychological evaluation report about White around April 4. He said his client is eager to work out a deal.
“I’m at least optimistic that we’re in the same ball park on settling this case,” Alexander said. And if that falls through, the trial should be able commence quickly.
Richard Bunney, chief deputy prosecutor for the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office, said the state would need to review that report and determine if it needs to do its own. Alexander said he did not anticipate findings of mental illness, so the state probably would not need to do an evaluation.
Brauer set April 30 for the next pretrial hearing to check on progress. He also told the attorney to be ready with any motions.
The third defendant, Matthew Raymond Hermann, 21, has a hearing Monday in Hermiston before Umatilla County Circuit Judge Eva Temple. Court documents paint Hermann as the ringleader in the case. He has pleaded not guilty to five counts of aggravated murder, five counts of murder and charges of burglary, theft and kidnapping.
Contact Phil Wright at pwright@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0833.
This story originally appeared in East Oregonian.
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