The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current, June 16, 2017, Image 2

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The daily Astorian., June 16, 2017, Page 2A, Image 2

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Newspaper Page Text2A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2017 A lawyer for the toughest cases Straight-forward legal advocate for criminals By ANDREW BINION Kitsap Sun BREMERTON, Wash. — When dealing with killers, the best piece of advice Roger Hunko ever received was upon ﬁ rst meeting them, look for something you like about them. For Hunko, 70, the venera- ble Kitsap County defense attor- ney whose expertise on death penalty trials involved him in some of the more notable and heinous Washington state cases through the past three decades, it was usually easy. “I look at people and I like them,” said Hunko, who is retir- ing after ﬁ rst being licensed in Washington state in 1979. “Although I never expected to know as many murderers as I do.” Hunko had been co-counsel on the case of Gabriel Gaeta, charged in the 2014 rape and murder of 6-year-old Jenise Wright, but he was released at his own request. Last month the state Supreme Court ruled on another of his cases, and he has one more hearing, a sentencing for a drug case. Larry Steagall/Kitsap Sun Roger Hunko, a longtime Kitsap County defense attor- ney and death penalty opponent, poses for a photo in his backyard on Lake Tahuya, Wash. still drunk,” Hunko said. He estimated that he had been on about 30 aggravated murder cases, and of the death penalty cases he took, only one client was condemned to die — Robert Lee Yates, convicted in 2002 of murdering two women in Pierce County and number ﬁ ve of eight on the state’s death row. real plans at all except to close on the sale of his home and roam the country in a 24-foot RV with his wife, Kathleen, and their two dogs, Olive and Twinks. “Just going to go, gypsy life,” Hunko said. “I like not having a plan.” For somebody known almost as much for his skill as an attorney as his mellow, lik- able demeanor, it may be the most ﬁ tting retirement. After all, Hunko took the law school entrance exam on a whim, after a night of drinking tequila and playing dice, only to score in the top 9 percent in the country. “I wasn’t hung over, I was Roam the country After that, he has no plans to practice again. In fact, he has no Straight-forward Those who worked for him at his ﬁ rm in Port Orchard, and those who argued against him in cases where the stakes couldn’t be higher, said Hunko was a straight-forward advo- FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA TONIGHT SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY 63 55 47 Mostly cloudy 68 54 Mostly cloudy Sun and clouds TUESDAY 68 55 63 51 Times of clouds and sun cate — professional and pas- sionate — but never under- handed or abrasive. He lifted weights competently in his younger days and wears loud shirts, but he is not known for ﬂ amboyance. “He really practiced from the heart,” said Kevin Kelly, now chief deputy prosecutor in Kitsap County District Court. In 1996, Kelly was one of the prosecutors who argued against Hunko in Kitsap County’s last death penalty trial, the case of Steven R. Morgan. Tina Robinson, Kitsap County prosecutor, was hired by Hunko in 2006 for her ﬁ rst job out of law school. She said he taught her to love her job as a defense attorney and how to relate to clients as people. “He will ﬁ ght till the end for his clients,” she said. “He is a great guy with a great heart and he is a very good attorney.” Born in Brooklyn, New York, on the Fourth of July, Hunko was a twin. His brother, Robert, died as an infant. He was raised in New Jersey and served four years in the U.S. Air Force before roaming the country in a Volkswagen bus. He eventually made his way to Pocatello, Idaho, where he went to college, majoring in history, and he later decided to give law school a shot. He says now that at the time, he didn’t know what lawyers actually did. He attributes his success to his time spent working as a bartender, where he became a student of human nature, as well as his love of puzzles. In ways, working a case is like solving a puzzle, he said. Submitted Photo A Seaside woman was killed Saturday in a car crash. Astoria man indicted for manslaughter in fatal crash The Daily Astorian An Astoria man involved in a fatal crash last weekend was indicted Thursday for manslaughter. Christopher Jeremy Costa, 23, has been indicted for manslaughter, driving under the inﬂ uence of intox- icants and reckless driving. He allegedly crossed the center line of U.S. High- way 101 near Cullaby Lake just before 2:30 a.m. Sat- urday. His 1984 Chevro- let pickup truck collided head-on with a 2001 Toyota Camry. Kayla Lynn Weber, 27, of Seaside, was driv- ing the Camry and died as a result of the crash . Costa was able to escape his truck, which had caught ﬁ re. Costa had been receiv- ing treatment for serious injuries after being taken by Life Flight to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland. The east side of the highway was closed for 4½ hours after the crash . A warrant was issued today for Costa’s arrest, and security has been set at $500,000. Low clouds OBITUARIES ALMANAC Tillamook 46/65 June 23 Coos Bay 53/68 Full June 30 Source: Jim Todd, OMSI TOMORROW'S TIDES Astoria / Port Docks Time 1:40 a.m. 1:40 p.m. Low 2.5 ft. 0.8 ft. City Atlanta Boston Chicago Denver Des Moines Detroit El Paso Fairbanks Honolulu Indianapolis Kansas City Las Vegas Los Angeles Memphis Miami Nashville New Orleans New York Oklahoma City Philadelphia St. Louis Salt Lake City San Francisco Seattle Washington, DC Klamath Falls 44/79 Lakeview 45/80 Ashland 54/83 REGIONAL CITIES City Baker City Bend Brookings Eugene Ilwaco Klamath Falls Medford Newberg Newport North Bend Hi 62 62 63 67 60 74 77 68 60 65 Today Lo 39 42 54 48 49 44 57 49 48 54 W r c c c c pc pc sh sh c Hi 72 76 66 77 60 79 85 73 63 68 Sat. Lo 45 50 56 51 55 47 59 55 51 54 W pc s s pc c pc pc pc pc pc City Olympia Pendleton Portland Roseburg Salem Seaside Spokane Springfi eld Vancouver Yakima Hi 68 69 67 71 67 61 67 67 66 74 Today Lo 43 47 52 54 51 48 45 51 49 43 W sh r sh c sh sh sh sh sh c Hi 68 75 73 82 75 62 70 78 71 78 Sat. Lo 53 55 58 56 54 55 53 52 56 52 W c pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc TOMORROW'S NATIONAL WEATHER NATIONAL CITIES Today Hi Lo 85 71 67 61 88 69 93 60 89 70 86 69 104 72 68 54 86 73 88 69 92 74 107 81 90 65 94 77 86 76 91 71 89 75 72 67 98 76 82 70 88 75 92 63 74 58 68 48 84 73 Burns 39/74 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017 Tonight's Sky: Vega, of Lyra, is the brightest star of the Summer Triangle, which is in view all night. High 6.8 ft. 7.7 ft. Ontario 49/78 Roseburg 54/82 Brookings 53/69 July 8 Baker 39/72 John Day 45/74 Bend 42/76 Medford 57/85 UNDER THE SKY Time 7:16 a.m. 8:25 p.m. Prineville 41/77 Lebanon 50/77 Eugene 48/77 Sunset tonight ........................... 9:09 p.m. Sunrise Saturday ........................ 5:23 a.m. Moonrise today ........................... 1:07 a.m. Moonset today ......................... 12:23 p.m. June 17 La Grande 44/72 Salem 51/75 Newport 48/63 SUN AND MOON First Pendleton 47/75 The Dalles 53/80 Portland 52/73 Precipitation Thursday .......................................... 1.26" Month to date ................................... 2.25" Normal month to date ....................... 1.49" Year to date .................................... 49.38" Normal year to date ........................ 34.85" New Astoria Sept. 12, 1944 — June 13, 2017 Shown is tomorrow's weather. Temperatures are tonight's lows and tomorrow's highs. ASTORIA 47/63 Astoria through Thursday. Temperatures High/low ....................................... 59°/53° Normal high/low ........................... 64°/50° Record high ............................ 81° in 1961 Record low ............................. 41° in 1959 Last Donna Mae (Beckwith) Buckman REGIONAL WEATHER W t r t pc t pc s pc pc pc pc s s t t t pc sh pc sh pc s s c t Sat. Hi Lo 88 73 77 67 86 67 87 53 85 62 86 71 105 74 67 52 87 75 89 73 94 65 109 85 88 64 95 78 88 77 93 74 89 76 78 70 99 71 86 72 96 73 82 59 76 61 69 55 85 74 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W t pc t pc t t s sh s t s s s pc t pc pc c s c t pc s c c Donna Mae (Beckwith) Buckman passed great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her away peacefully at home on June 13, 2017. brother, Jim, and sister-in-law, Lorelei Beck- She was born Sept. 12, 1944, in Astoria, Ore- with, of Brownsmead, Oregon. Donna loved to play cards. She was very gon. Donna was the daughter of Don Beckwith, crafty, creating beautiful oil paint- Maymie Phillips and Don Phillips. ings and ceramics. She loved to knit They preceded her in death. and made outﬁ ts and blankets for Donna was married 56 years to all her children, grandchildren and her loving husband, Joseph (Paul) great-grandchildren. Buckman. They have three daugh- She will be greatly missed. She ters: her eldest daughter, Sandra, was happiest when she was sur- and her son-in-law, Brian Emrick, rounded by her family, friends and of Clatskanie, Oregon; her mid- her two dogs. dle daughter, Terri, and her son-in- Visitation will be held Friday, law, Bob Killion, of Spokane, Wash- June 16, 2017, from 1 to 5 p.m., and ington; and her youngest daughter, Dawnya, and her son-in-law, Dave Donna Buckman Saturday, June 17, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortu- Lucas, of Marina, California. ary, 1165 Franklin Ave. Funeral ser- She has nine grandchildren: Tim McDonald and his ﬁ ancée, Shalana Harrison, vices are at noon Saturday, also at Caldwell’s Kris McDonald and her ﬁ ancé, Keaton Crepe, Luce-Layton Mortuary, followed by graveside and Darren Emrick, all of Clatskanie, Oregon, services at Ocean View Cemetery in Warrenton. Memorial contributions may be given to the Michelle and her husband, Alex Seguin, of Lynnwood, Washington, Lindsay and her hus- National Kidney Foundation at www.kidney. band, Dustin Funderburk, of Spokane, Wash- org Please sign the online guest book at www. ington, and Daniel, Rebekkah, Larken and Trinity Lucas of Marina, California; and eight caldwellsmortuary.com DEATH LOTTERIES June 15, 2017 BEESTON, Diane Sis- tere, 87, of Astoria, died in Astoria. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary is in charge of the arrangements. OREGON Thursday’s Pick 4: 1 p.m.: 2-9-9-0 4 p.m.: 8-8-1-8 7 p.m.: 5-2-7-0 10 p.m.: 7-4-1-7 Ofﬁ ce on the 90100 block of Oregon Highway 202 for fourth-degree assault, harassment and strangula- tion. He allegedly assaulted his girlfriend. WASHINGTON Thursday’s Daily Game: 1-0-5 Thursday’s Keno: 04-06-08-11- 18-19-21-24-28-34-40-47-48-49- 50-59-74-76-77-78 Thursday’s Match 4: 02-12- 14-22 ON THE RECORD Assault • At 11:14 a.m. Thurs- day, Marc Anthony Cas- telamare, 21, of Asto- ria, was arrested by the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice. PUBLIC MEETINGS MONDAY Astoria City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. $ NEA TUESDAY Cannon Beach Public Works Committee, 9 a.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower St. Sunset Empire Parks and Rec 95 NOW $ L ADIES SIZES 6-11 • F ULL L EATHER U PPER • S OFT C USHION I NSOLE • B ACK H EEL Z IPPER • A LSO IN B LACK 80 District, 4 p.m., 1225 Ave. A, Seaside. Clatsop County Human Services Advisory Council, 4 to 5:30 p.m., 800 Exchange St., Room 430. Seaside School District, 6 p.m., 1810 S. Franklin, Seaside. Port of Astoria Commission, The Daily Astorian Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published daily, except Saturday and Sunday, by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503- 325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Daily Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 www.dailyastorian.com MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for republication of all the local news printed in this newspaper. Follow us on SUBSCRIBER TO THE NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE ASTORIA: 239 14th Street • (503) 325-3972 • www.gimresshoesastoria.com MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. 6 p.m., budget hearing, regular meeting following, 10 Pier 1, Suite 209. Shoreline Sanitary District Board, 7 p.m., Gearhart Hertig Station, 33496 West Lake Lane, Warrenton. Seaside Planning Commis- sion, 7 p.m., 989 Broadway. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Effective July 1, 2015 HOME DELIVERY MAIL EZpay (per month) ................$11.25 EZpay (per month) ............... $16.60 13 weeks in advance ........... $36.79 13 weeks in advance ........... $51.98 26 weeks in advance ........... $70.82 26 weeks in advance ......... $102.63 52 weeks in advance ......... $135.05 52 weeks in advance ......... $199.90 Circulation phone number: 503-325-3211 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Daily Astorian become the property of The Daily Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2017 by The Daily Astorian. Printed on recycled paper