Brenda Wing waits prior to an omnibus hearing in Lewis County Superior Court at the Lewis County Law and Justice Center in Chehalis in late March.
Brenda Wing signs paper work handed to her by her defense attorney, John Crowley, as Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead looks on after an omnibus hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Thursday afternoon at the Lewis County Law and Justice Center in Chehalis.
A woman, who was arrested, along with her husband, for the death of a toddler, will take the stand at her trial, her defense attorney said, after a court hearing where her trial was pushed back one week.
Brenda Wing is charged with homicide by abuse, or, in the alternative, first-degree manslaughter for her alleged role in the Oct. 5, 2014 death of three-year-old Jasper Henderling-Warner.
“I can assure you Brenda will testify,” Seattle-based criminal defense attorney John Crowley said. “That is going to happen. She is a very gentle person.”
Crowley requested on Thursday in Lewis County Superior Court for the trial to be moved back one week to May 18, which the judge granted.
He told reporters the extra week will give him enough time to review an interview the prosecution plans to have in about a week with Brenda Wing’s husband, Danny Wing, who took a plea deal with the state on March 19.
Crowley said he knew the deal with Danny Wing likely was going to happen, and because he took a plea deal, what really happened to Jasper at the Wing’s Vader home will be much clearer.
When asked if the state was still seeking a plea deal with Brenda Wing, Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead said, “we are always working to resolve our cases,” while speaking to reporters after the hearing.
However, Crowley said he will be ready for trial and that he is close to ready now.
“I can assure you that there’s a lot more to the story than what has been reported,” Crowley told The Chronicle. “And that Brenda (was) scared to death of Danny Wing.”
He said many people who knew the couple told him about Brenda Wing’s fear of her husband.
The prosecution plans to call Danny Wing as a witness at trial, and, as a result of the deal, received additional details about the case, Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer told The Chronicle earlier this week.
Halstead said the state also plans to call an 18-year-old who was living with the Wings when Jasper died as well as the toddler’s parents as witnesses.
If the case goes to trial, Halstead estimates the trial will take two to three weeks, which is about half as long as anticipated prior to Danny Wing taking the plea deal.
The Wings were arrested for Jasper’s death on Nov. 7, 2014. The were both charged with homicide by abuse, or, in the alternative, first-degree manslaughter.
For the deal, Danny Wing pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and third-degree assault of a child, domestic violence. His sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
