Judge to rule on mental competency of accused killer of four in Des Moines

For 7-½ years Lorraine Marks has sat in more King County courtrooms that she can count in hopes of some resolution in the slayings of her parents and teenage son.

Marks said that she would like nothing better than to grieve the slayings in private, away from the man accused and his lawyers. But Marks insists that her family deserves to see Leemah Carneh tried for four counts of aggravated murder and face the automatic life sentence that comes with a conviction.

"It's seven years of not being able to have closure, of not being able to move forward," Marks said. "Seven years of extreme stress and seven years of not feeling that your murdered family is being protected by the system."

Prosecutors said Carneh killed Richard and Jane Larson, their grandson Taelor Marks, 17, and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Josie Peterson, on March 8, 2001, in the Larsons' Des Moines home. They claim Carneh was obsessed with Peterson, a high-school cheerleader.

In a search of Carneh's house after the slayings, police found a photo of Peterson, a ring belonging to Marks, luggage with the Larsons' name on it, a car stereo identified as coming from Marks' Monte Carlo, a handgun and bloody clothes.

Marks said she is so tired of hearing about Carneh, his mental-health issues and his stay at Western State Hospital that she wants to "divorce" him from her life forever.

"I don't care how bad Western State is, but he's not in a box — he still has a life. He has movie night and bingo night," Marks said. "Enough is enough already. It's horrible to put families through this."

On Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Palmer Robinson is scheduled to rule on whether Carneh is mentally competent to be tried for the slayings. If Robinson rules that Carneh is mentally incompetent to stand trial he could be sent back to Western State for 180 days of treatment with the hopes of restoring his competency, said Dan Donohoe, spokesman for King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg.

To be found competent to stand trial, the state requires that people be able to understand the nature of the proceedings against them and rationally help their attorneys defend them.

Carneh's mental competency has been in question since the slayings. In 2005, a judge dismissed four aggravated-murder charges against Carneh, clearing the way for him to be civilly committed to a mental institution.

The 27-year-old man has been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. Since his arrest he has been treated with a number of anti-psychotic drugs that occasionally seems to restore some level of competency, according to court records.

But last year, when the King County Prosecutor's Office was notified that Carneh had shown improvement at Western State, murder charges were refiled.

Doctors found Carneh mentally incompetent to stand trial, but they also told the court that further treatment might restore Carneh's competency.

Information from The Seattle Times archives is included in this report.

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