At his arraignment on Aug. 4, alleged Jan. 10 shooter John Lee plead not guilty to three counts of first degree murder and one count of aggravated battery at the Latah County District Court.
During the arraignment, Lee waived his right to a speedy trial within six months of his arraignment date. Stegner and the team of defense and prosecuting attorneys decided on a trial date for May 2, allotting five weeks for the process.
David Betts | Argonaut
Alleged Jan. 10 shooter John Lee appeared in court for his arraignment Aug. 4. His trial will start on May 2.
Lee faces charges for the murder of David Trail, Belinda Niebuhr and Terri Grzebielski, as well as the shooting of Michael Chin during the events in Moscow in January of this year.
Presiding Judge John Stegner said Lee could be sentenced to a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison if convicted of the three individual charges of first-degree murder. He said an alternative if Lee is sentenced to life in prison would be the death penalty.
Stegner said Lee could be sentenced to a maximum of 13 years in prison if he is convicted of the one charge of aggravated battery for the shooting of Michael Chin.
Currently, Lee is presumed not guilty for any of the charges set against him, Stegner said. Because Lee plead not guilty to the four felony charges, the only way to lose this presumption is if it is proved by the state that he is guilty to a jury of 12 beyond a reasonable doubt. Stegner said the jury would need to agree unanimously of Lee”s guilt for each charge.
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected]