In 2020, Humboldt County law enforcement agencies investigated 14 homicides, up from 2019’s 10. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office handled seven homicide investigations, the California Highway Patrol handled two vehicular homicides and the Arcata Police Department reported one homicide. The Eureka Police Department investigated four homicides and three vehicular manslaughter cases, though criminal charges weren’t filed in those cases.
Other agencies did not report any additional homicides during the past year.
“Seven or eight has been kind of an average number that we’ve kind of expected over the years,” Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said. “Obviously it’s increased from last year.”
The Sheriff’s Office is still seeking information from the community on three cases that are under investigation, which Honsal said was instrumental in solving some of the other homicides that occurred this year.
“Julius Tripp was a prime example of a homicide case that occurred in Hoopa where we really need the community’s help to solve that case,” Honsal said.
Despite the increasing amount of help from the community to build cases, moving them through the criminal justice system was hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“COVID reduced the number of cases we could take to jury trial in 2020,” Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming wrote in an email, “8 (in 2020) in comparison to an average of 35 per year over the 5 previous years.”
There were four jury trials in the first two months of 2020, but the Humboldt County court system stopped all trials until the end of August, at which point the District Attorney’s Office tried four more cases before trials were once again halted, Fleming wrote.
Fleming wrote her office focused on trying felony cases because of limited opportunities, which included two murders, one attempted murder, two robberies, an assault, a child molestation and an extension of a commitment at the Napa State Hospital.
“Unfortunately, the challenge of the pandemic only adds another to a variety of reasons for delays in getting cases to trial,” Fleming wrote. “The caseloads of both prosecutors and defense attorneys sometimes result in delays because attorneys have cases set back-to-back. Any changes in the attorney representing the defendant cause delays. We also commonly deal with time-consuming analyses of evidence.”
There are currently 14 homicides and four vehicular manslaughter cases waiting to go to trial, Fleming wrote, eight of which occurred in 2020.
“We faced and eliminated a backlog of cases when I became District Attorney in 2015,” Fleming wrote, “and I remain confident we can do so again when conditions improve.”
Homicides in 2020
1. Jason Todd Garrett: On Feb. 16, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office received information about a homicide that took place at a property on Crooked Prairie Road in the Ettersburg area and found the human remains of 33-year-old Garrett, which weren’t immediately identifiable, after searching the property. Ryan Anthony Tanner was arrested as the prime suspect and a judge decided at a preliminary hearing that there was enough evidence to hold him for trial, which is set for May 17.
2. Unidentified minor: On the evening of Feb. 18, Eureka Police Department officers were dispatched to respond to a domestic disturbance at a residence on Union Street, where they found a 17-year-old male suffering serious injuries from a gunshot wound that he succumbed to at the hospital. His mother, Pamela Faye Millsap, was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, and is currently out on supervised release while she awaits trial, which is set for March 29.
3. Roger Mitchell “Mitch” Clark: On May 20, a family member of 84-year-old Clark found Clark dead in his home and reported it to the Eureka Police Department. It was determined Clark had been stabbed with a knife, and Wesley Lee Starritt was arrested after being identified through a video. Starritt, who was previously convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, was ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial, but has yet to be transported to the Napa State Hospital. His next confirmation of transport is set for Jan. 14.
4. Unidentified individual: On the afternoon of May 22, Eureka Police Department officers were dispatched to the 1300 block of West Avenue where there was a report of multiple people involved in an altercation that ultimately ended in a nearby resident shooting two of those people, killing one, as the altercation moved inside his home. The shooting was determined to be a justifiable homicide that took place in self-defense.
5. Jeffrey Allen Kirwan: On the evening of July 2, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to Blue Lake for the report of an armed robbery and shots fired. When they arrived, they located 53-year-old Kirwan suffering from gunshot wounds. Mark Anthony Nelson Jr., 39, was arrested when he told law enforcement he shot the man after he tried to rob the store where Nelson was working. Charges were dropped and the homicide was determined to be in self-defense.
6. John Karl Sieger: On July 23, the Eureka Police Department was dispatched to respond to 51-year-old Sieger, who was armed and texting suicidal messages, and were joined by a team of first responders, including a mental health crisis negotiator. After two hours of negotiation, Sieger entered the back alley and leveled his firearm at police officers, who fatally shot him. An investigation by the Humboldt County multi-agency Critical Incident Response Team determined the shooting to be a justifiable homicide. No charges were filed.
7. Wade Daniel Harris: On Aug. 14, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office received a report from an out-of-area attorney about “a deceased possible gunshot victim at a property on Old Harris Road in Garberville.” When they arrived at the location, they found 38-year-old Harris lying dead in the driveway with multiple gunshot wounds. One male subject who was detained and declined to provide a statement was released following further investigation. No suspect has been arrested.
8. Julius Barthel Tripp: On Aug. 20, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office recovered the remains of 42-year-old Tripp, who had been reported as a missing person July 26, near Hoopa. Bronson Moon Lewis Jr., 18, was identified as the prime suspect and turned himself in to face murder charges. Daniel Armendariz, 19, was arrested following Lewis’s preliminary hearing. Armendariz’s preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 27 and Lewis’s trial date will be set after that hearing is completed.
9. Robert Mark Coffer: On Aug. 24, the U.S. Forest Service and California Highway Patrol contacted the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office for help with a possible traffic collision “occurring over an embankment, with a vehicle in the Klamath River, on Highway 96 near Milepost Marker 34.” Prior to their arrival, deputies were made aware that emergency responder located a deceased adult male, who turned out to be 64-year-old Coffer, 400 feet down the embankment. Deputies determined Coffer’s death to be suspicious and are continuing to investigate, though a suspect has not yet been arrested.
10. Aaron Kirk Steichen: On Sept. 20, the Arcata Police Department responded to a report of a stabbing that had occurred between two siblings and located 39-year-old Steichen, who was pronounced dead shortly afterward at the hospital. Jacob Eli Steichen, who has schizophrenia, was arrested on homicide charges, but declared mentally incompetent to stand trial. Steichen’s next hearing to confirm he has been transported to the Napa State Hospital is set for Jan. 28.
11. Kadie Lynn Jones: On Oct. 9, Cal Fire personnel responded to a brush fire near Redwood Drive in Garberville and found the burnt body of a human female upon extinguishing the fire. They reported the remains to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, which conducted an autopsy, identified the remains as those of 21-year-old Jones and determined she “likely died prior to the fire.” The Sheriff’s Office is still investigating Jones’s death and is asking for assistance from anybody who might have information about the case.
12. Mary Claunch: On Oct. 13, the Humboldt area California Highway Patrol received a report of a head-on collision on Highway 101 north of Orick. All three individuals involved suffered major injuries and 59-year-old Claunch, who was a passenger in one of the vehicles, succumbed to her injuries and died. Jamie Vaughn, whose car reportedly traveled from the northbound lane into the southbound lane of Highway 101, was arrested on charges of gross vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol. Vaughn’s preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 2.
13. Perry Zebulon Bailey: On the night of Nov. 15, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to New Navy Base Road in Samoa for a report of a gunshot victim. They found 34-year-old Bailey, who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and later arrested two suspects — Travontae Javoni Hutson and Ian James Pease. Both suspects’ preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 10.
14. Emily Perry: On Dec. 17, the Humboldt area California Highway Patrol responded to a report of a vehicle colliding with two parked cars near Myrtle Avenue and Russell Lane in Eureka. Perry, 18, was a passenger in the vehicle and suffered major injuries that she succumbed to at the hospital. Ismael Lopez, who was the driver of the vehicle, was arrested and charged with gross vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Lopez’s preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 11.
Sonia Waraich can be reached at 707-441-0506.
