Rick Riffe makes an appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday afternoon at the Lewis County Law and Justice Center in Chehalis.
The Alaska man accused of murdering an elderly Ethel couple in 1985 will testify in his own defense at trial, his attorney said Tuesday.
John Crowley, the Seattle-based lawyer representing Rick Riffe, made the comments shortly after Riffe appeared in Lewis County Superior Court Tuesday afternoon for his first court appearance since he was extradited from Alaska last week.
Crowley said that there is no ballistic, forensic or physical evidence connecting Riffe to the murders of 81-year-old Edward Maurin and his 83-year-old wife, Wilhelmina Maurin.
“He definitely didn’t do it,” Crowley said.
Riffe will support his innocence with testimony at trial, he said of his client.
“When Rick Riffe gets the opportunity, he will take the stand,” he said.
Riffe is being held in the Lewis County Jail with bail set at $5 million. An arraignment is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Aug. 23.
The 53-year-old Riffe is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and other counts in the deaths of the Maurins. The couple died from shotgun blasts, and their bodies were found at the end of a road west of Chehalis five days after their family reported them missing.
The Lewis County Sheriff's office says Riffe, of King Salmon, Alaska, and his brother, John Riffe, were the primary suspects all along, but probable cause for their arrest was not developed until much later when additional witnesses came forward.
John Riffe died earlier this year from ongoing health issues.
Rick Riffe is also suffering from some serious health problems, Crowley said, and in jail Rick uses an oxygen tank that he brought down from Alaska with him.
Rick appeared in court Tuesday without the oxygen tank, but dressed red and white jail grab, his hands chained at his waist.
While Rick feels sympathetic for the family’s loss, Crowley said, he maintains his own innocence as well as his brother’s.
Riffe’s parents, both 80 years old, and his younger brother sat in the courtroom Tuesday for Rick’s preliminary hearing. They declined to speak to reporters following the court appearance.
Rick and his now deceased brother, John, moved to Alaska in 1987.
Crowley said despite his health problems, Riffe will defend his innocence in court.
“He is strong and he looks forward to going to court,” Crowley said.
