Young released from jail in Teel homicide case

"I think it's the best resolution, looking to the history of the case and other factors involved," said Klickitat County Prosecuting Attorney Tim O'Neill.

"It's an unfortunate situation, and the family is not happy about it," said Diane Teel. "But at least there'll be some closure."

Teel, 41, was shot and killed in a wooded area a few miles outside of Husum. Young, now 66, was arrested in Montana in 1998 and extradited to Washington. He was subsequently tried and convicted of murder in the first degree.

In November 1998, Young was sentenced to 320 months -- nearly 27 years -- for the crime.

Young appealed his conviction, and on Dec. 14, 2000, the Court of Appeals reversed the conviction on the grounds of "prosecutorial misconduct" and "ineffective assistance of counsel."

The Court of Appeals denied requests from the Klickitat County Prosecutor's Office to reconsider its ruling. The Prosecutor's Office then appealed to the Washington Supreme Court, and that request was also denied.

The case was remanded to Klickitat County Superior Court for retrial.

Young was retried before a jury in February of this year, but the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The judge declared a mistrial, and a new trial was set for June.

On May 9, rather than face a new trial, Young offered a guilty plea to the charge of manslaughter in the second degree.

Young was given an "exceptional sentence" of 1,431 days in jail (a little less than four years), with credit for time served. Since the sentence was the same as his time served, he was released on May 9.

Young remained in jail through the trials and appeals. He was in custody from the time of his arrest on June 2, 1998, until his release on May 9, 2002.

A hearing is expected to be held later to determine the amount of restitution Young must pay to Larry Teel's family.

END 1CBX