King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng dies

Longtime King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng died of cardiac arrest tonight after collapsing at the University of Washington. He was 68.

Mr. Maleng was rushed to Harborview Medical Center this evening after he apparently collapsed at the University of Washington Center for Urban Horticulture.

Seattle Fire Lt. Sue Stangl said medics were dispatched to the UW at 7:20 p.m. She said they tried to "stabilize" the patient and arrived at Harborview at 8:20 p.m. Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske and Prosecutor's Office Chief of Staff Dan Satterberg were at the hospital awaiting details on Maleng's health.

Mr. Maleng, who has been in charge of the state's largest prosecutor's office since 1978, was in his eighth term. Last November, he garnered 97 percent of the vote.

Mr. Maleng has been a leader on crime policy, anti-drug laws and proposed legislation on runaways. But as successful as Mr. Maleng was in the criminal justice arena, he unsuccessfully sought the office of attorney general and governor in previous statewide campaigns.

Mr. Maleng is one of the architects of the state's Sentencing Reform Act. He worked for tougher laws concerning sex predators and repeat offenders. He supported reducing sentences for some drug crimes and expanding treatment options for addicts.

Mr. Maleng is regarded as restrained in his use of the death penalty.

Jackie Walsh, a defense attorney who battled prosecutors over their attempt to impose the death penalty on convicted cop killer Charles Champion, said she had so much respect for Mr. Maleng that she found it uncomfortable to call him by his first name, as he'd asked during negotiations.

At a party shortly after Walsh's father died, Mr. Maleng made his way across the room to convey his sympathies.

"I thought it was so sweet and kind. ... He was one of those old-school lawyers who remember what it's like to be a professional and show respect whether the person is an adversary or not."

In recent years, Mr. Maleng has guided his office through difficult decisions, including striking a deal that spared the life of "Green River killer" Gary Ridgway in exchange for his guilty plea to killing 48 women and help in locating the victims' remains. Since that decision, legal observers have argued, it's become more difficult to prosecute a death-penalty case in Washington state.

In December, Mr. Maleng announced he would not seek the death penalty against Naveed Haq, the 31-year-old man accused of the July 2006 shooting rampage at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle that left one woman dead and five others wounded. Mr. Maleng cited Haq's history of mental illness.

A month later, Mr. Maleng decided to seek the death penalty against 25-year-old Conner Schierman, who is charged with killing his neighbor Olga Milkin, 28; her sister Lyubov Botvina, 24; and Milkin's two sons, Justin, 5, and Andrew, 3, on July 17 in Kirkland.

In September, Mr. Maleng urged the state's Indeterminate Sentence Review Board not to grant parole to Tony Ng, who was convicted of 13 counts of first-degree robbery and one count of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon for his role in the 1983 robbery and slaying of 13 victims at the Wah Mee gambling club in the Chinatown International District. The board last month denied Ng's parole.

Mr. Maleng and his wife, Judy, live in the Magnolia neighborhood. They have a son, Mark, a graduate of Washington State University who works in the seafood industry.

During past interviews, Mr. Maleng has called Winston Churchill his personal hero. He said he reads at least four newspapers daily and rarely watches television — admitting he should watch more.

Mr. Maleng would sometimes talk of his daughter, Karen, who was killed in a sledding accident in 1989 at the age of 12.

Mr. Maleng, the son of Norwegian dairy farmers, grew up in the Acme Valley in northwestern Washington. He studied economics at the University of Washington.

In 1966, Mr. Maleng was hired as a staff attorney to the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, then chaired by the late Senator Warren Magnuson of Washington. After a brief stint in private practice, Mr. Maleng joined the King County Prosecutor's Office in 1972 as chief deputy of the Civil Division.

Times staff reporter Christine Clarridge contributed to this report.

Information previously reported in The Seattle Times is included in this report.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com