Tuesday, April 01, 2025
37.0°F

Mediation continues in murder trial

CAROLINE LOBSINGER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 10 months AGO
by CAROLINE LOBSINGER
I grew up in the Tri-Cities, Wash., and have always loved to write. I attended the University of Washington, where I earned a double major in journalism and political science, with an area of emphasis in history. I am the fifth out of six kids — don't believe any of the stories that my siblings tell. To be able to tell others stories and take photos for a living is a dream come true — and I considered myself blessed to be a community journalist. When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, hiking and spending time outdoors, genealogy, reading, and watching the UW Huskies and the Seattle Seahawks. I am a servant to my cat, Frankie, who yes, will eat anything and everything in sight … even wedding cookies. | May 22, 2021 1:00 AM

▶️ Listen to this article now.

SANDPOINT — Another round of mediation is planned in the case of the Coeur d'Alene woman accused of killing Shirley Ann Ramey in 2017.

If a resolution is not reached through the mediation, Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall said the first-degree murder case against Judith Marie Carpenter would be set for trial.

At this time there is no trial date set, Marshall told the Daily Bee.

Authorization for another round of mediation was ordered Tuesday. The court is allowing Carpenter's spouse and doctor to participate in the mediation talks.

Carpenter, 59, is accused of shooting Ramey on the deck of her Trestle Creek Road home on April 5, 2017. A criminal complaint alternately alleges first-degree murder or first-degree murder during the commission of a burglary.

Carpenter, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, remains held in lieu of $1 million bail. She denied involvement in the killing when she was indicted by a Bonner County grand jury in 2019.

Carpenter was linked to the murder after her Glock semiautomatic pistol was seized as part of a road-rage incident in northwestern Montana. A ballistics analysis concluded the 9-millimeter pistol was the same weapon that was used to kill Ramey.

Carpenter also allegedly possessed a lever-action rifle that was found missing from Ramey's home, according to court documents.

At an Oct. 2, 2019, hearing, Bonner County Sheriff’s Detective Matthew Wallace told the court that there were no obvious signs of a burglary. A purse and other valuables in the home were in plain sight. However, a Savage Model 99 — a .308-caliber, lever-action rifle — was later discovered missing from the residence, according to court documents.

He testified that two 9-millimeter shell casings were found on the home’s deck and a projectile was also found in an interior soffit above a bay window in the home’s living room.

The casings recovered from the killing were entered into the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives’ National Integrated Ballistics Information Network, which allows for the high-definition capture and comparison of ballistic evidence. The casings were subsequently matched to a Glock semiautomatic pistol that was being held by sheriff’s officials in Lincoln County, Mont.

The Glock belonged to Carpenter, who was charged in Montana with threatening another motorist with a gun the same day Ramey was killed. Authorities there also seized a Savage Model 99 that was found in Carpenter’s possession.

At the 2019 hearing, Bonner County detectives testified that the rifle had not yet been reported to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center as a stolen weapon.

A forensic analyst with Idaho State Police testified that all of the recovered casings matched test-fired casings from Carpenter’s Glock through comparison microscope analyses of firing pin aperture shear, firing pin drag and other markings.

MORE FRONT-PAGE-SLIDER STORIES

Carpenter pleads not guilty to murder
Bonner County Daily Bee | Updated 5 years, 2 months ago
Case against murder suspect expect to proceed
Bonner County Daily Bee | Updated 4 years, 1 month ago
Case against murder suspect expected to proceed
Bonner County Daily Bee | Updated 4 years, 1 month ago

ARTICLES BY CAROLINE LOBSINGER

Community garden set to bloom at 'The Woods'
April 1, 2025 1 a.m.

Community garden set to bloom at 'The Woods'

Effort underway to create garden near sled hill

Plans are blooming to create a community garden at the base of the Pine Street Woods sled hill.

Mitchell named DYW Sandpoint 2025
March 30, 2025 1 a.m.

Mitchell named DYW Sandpoint 2025

Mackenzie Mitchell has been named Sandpoint's Distinguished Young Woman 2025. Mitchell, a junior at Sandpoint High School, was selected for the honor at a March 22 program. She receives a $3,000 scholarship.

Dover shines spotlight on 'Hidden Heroes'
March 26, 2025 1 a.m.

Dover shines spotlight on 'Hidden Heroes'

City officials want to shine a spotlight — as well as say thank you — to all of the community's military caregivers.