Fantasy plot led to death of teenager, attorney says

By Jennifer Sullivan
Times Snohomish County Bureau

MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES Jenson Hankins, 17, accused of killing John Jasmer, 16, in August 2003, is led from a Snohomish County courtroom back to jail during a break in his trial yesterday afternoon in Everett.

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EVERETT — Planning a friend's murder was "fun" for 16-year-old Jenson Hankins, his defense attorney said yesterday.

Hankins and his friend Joshua Goldman likened themselves to James Bond or characters from "The Sopranos" when they talked about killing 16-year-old John Jasmer, attorney Rachel Levy said. Drunk and high, they carried out their fantasy murder plot in August 2003, and it wasn't until after they shoveled dirt over Jasmer's grave that Hankins realized what he'd done, Levy said.

"The plans the boys made were drama," she said yesterday during her opening statement in Hankins' murder trial. "He [Hankins] can't believe what happened. It was not what he intended."

Goldman, now 18, pleaded guilty in August to first-degree murder. He is expected to testify against Hankins.

Hankins, Goldman and Jasmer, classmates and football players at Seattle's Roosevelt High School, called themselves "The J-Crew." The boys, especially Hankins and Jasmer, were nearly inseparable during the summer of 2003, Jasmer's mother, Donna, testified yesterday.

Their friendship continued even after Hankins' 15-year-old girlfriend told her family, Hankins and the Seattle police that Jasmer had raped her in June 2003.

Donna Jasmer said her son told her the sex was consensual. She said she tried to apologize to Hankins, and "he told me not to worry about it."

Donna Jasmer recalled Hankins telling her "broads come and go. We're buds for life."

But, according to prosecutors, forgiving Jasmer was the furthest thing from Hankins' mind.

Hankins recruited Goldman and on Aug. 21, 2003, they drove Jasmer to the Tulalip Reservation. They told him they were "going to show him a secret location where there was a marijuana farm or greenhouse," Deputy Prosecutor Ed Stemler said during his opening statement.

As Goldman got out of the car, he grabbed a knife; Hankins carried a hammer and a knife. They walked into the woods and, Stemler said, "Jenson Hankins cracks John Jasmer with a hammer."

Jasmer was bludgeoned and stabbed 29 times. Stemler is asking the jury to find Hankins, now 17, guilty of first-degree premeditated murder.

Levy said her client didn't plan the slaying. She said Jasmer was a "bully" who was tormenting Hankins and "the love of his life." She said Hankins wanted only to scare Jasmer into leaving him and the girl alone.

When her son didn't return home after his night out with Goldman and Hankins, Donna Jasmer called police and eventually filed a missing-person report. In the six days before Jasmer's body was found, Donna Jasmer, her two grown sons, teenage daughter and her longtime partner called Jasmer's friends and co-workers in an effort to retrace his steps.

Seattle police Detective Tina Drain testified that she worked closely with the Jasmer family until she received a telephone call from a psychologist Aug. 26, 2003. The psychologist said a patient — a friend of Hankins' girlfriend — disclosed information about the slaying, Stemler said.

Police questioned Hankins and Goldman. When investigators told Goldman that Hankins blamed him for the murder, Goldman took investigators to Jasmer's grave. Both teens were arrested Aug. 28, 2003.

The teenage girl, who has since ended her relationship with Hankins, briefly took the witness stand yesterday. Now a 17-year-old high-school senior, she will continue her testimony Monday. She's expected to testify about her knowledge of the slaying and why she told police she was raped but later recanted her story.

Jennifer Sullivan: 425-783-0604 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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