Riffe Trial Set for November; Likely Will Last Weeks

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The trial of Rick Riffe, the man accused of the 1985 double-murder of an elderly Ethel couple, will likely last at least two to three weeks and the prosecution anticipates upwards of 100 witnesses to participate. The trial is scheduled to begin the week of Nov. 5.

During a court hearing Thursday afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court, Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead described coordinating that number of witnesses as a “logistical nightmare,” considering that a number of the witnesses don’t currently live in the state and will need to be brought to Lewis County for the trial.

Prior to Thursday’s court hearing, Riffe’s Seattle-based attorney, John Crowley, told The Chronicle that the prosecution had “zero direct evidence” such as DNA or fingerprints that linked his client to the 1985 murder of Ed and Minnie Maurin. He also described the case as being “totally circumstantial.”

Crowley said previously that Riffe will support his innocence with testimony at trial.

Riffe’s attorney also said that among the 1,200 pages of evidence gathered by the prosecution, there is a letter written and signed by someone other than Riffe, explaining the homicides in great detail and confessing to the crime.



Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer refused to comment on the existence of the letter or about Crowley’s allegation regarding the lack of fingerprint or DNA evidence in the case.

“He can try to try and the case in the media, but we’ll allow the case to be tried by the jury,” Meyer said, later adding, “If there was no evidence, we wouldn’t have brought the charges, and the judge probably wouldn't have found probable cause.”

Authorities suspect Rick and his brother John, of King Salmon, Alaska, who both were originally from Mossyrock, abducted the Ethel couple from their home, forced them to withdraw money from the bank, then later shot and killed them in their car, according to court documents. The Maurins’ bodies were found at the end of a road west of Chehalis on Dec. 24, 1985, five days after their family reported them missing.

If convicted, Riffe could face life in prison. John Riffe died earlier this year before police could arrest him.

Riffe is currently being held in the Lewis County Jail and will appear in court on Sep. 27. His bail is set at $5 million.