The Hood River County courtroom of Judge Paul Crowley was again filled wall to wall with visitors during the May 3 hearing of murder suspect Dane Kay Donaghy.
Donaghy, 20, was arrested April 8 in connection with the death of Hood River resident, Oscar Jose Solorio, 31, in Parkdale.
During early morning hearing, Solorio's family and friends filed in wearing matching black t-shirts bearing the phrase, "In Loving Memory of Oscar Solorio, 7/27/79 to 4/8/11. We are never going to forget."
"I'm just waiting for some justice to be made. I'm not looking for anything more than that," stated the victim's father, Vicente Solorio.
Family and friends of Donaghy also filled the benches in the tightly packed room.
Donaghy, appearing by live-feed video from the NORCOR holding facility in The Dalles, is charged in the death of Solorio,. He was represented by Cami White, from the Portland Metropolitan Public Defenders office.
Donaghy's charge carries a penalty with a minimum of 25 years incarceration and a maximum of life in prison.
White, on behalf of her client, requested a plea date to be set approximately eight weeks from the hearing.
In a second request, White also presented an argument to reduce the $50,000 bail for Donaghy's release, pending trial.
Stating that Donaghy was no flight risk, White cited his community connections, lack of funds, lack of passport and the positive option to live with his grandparents while awaiting trial.
White also noted that Donaghy's mother, Lori Adams, could not afford the bail and had been supporting five people, including the victim, on her Walmart salary. White asked for bail to be set at $10,000.
John Sewell, Hood River County District Attorney, provided rebuttal, noting an assault charge against Donaghy dating from his student days at HRVHS. He also cited the severity of the crime (murder versus manslaughter) and the minimum sentence of 25 associated with the crime, among other concerns.
"Court sets bail based on what is a reasonable sum to ensure the defendant will appear, not on what the family can afford," said Sewell.
Judge Crowley evaluated each attorney's arguments and denied a reduction in bail at this time. He indicated, however, that he would consider one if the defense provided a fully defined release plan at a future hearing.
Crowley then inquired of Sewell as to the status of "discovery" on facts of the case.
Sewell responded that outside of the pending toxicology results, his office had completed the discovery process.
Crowley then set the next court date for June 28 at 9 a.m. and both defense and prosecution agreed.
Donaghy's attorney did request the option to ask for an extension on the next court date.
According to the Hood River County Sheriff report, on April 8, just after 3 p.m., deputies arrived at 6170 Billings Road in Parkdale, on a report of a shooting.
Personnel from the sheriff's office and Oregon State Police arrived at the location and found Solorio lying on the ground; unresponsive. Solorio was pronounced dead on the scene by emergency medical personnel a short time later. Donaghy was arrested at the residence.
At the start of the May 3 proceeding, Donaghy's grandmother, Christina Pryse, offered the following statement, "I want to thank everyone for their letters, phone calls and prayers during this trying time."
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.