GUILTY WA - Jay Cook, 20, & Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, Skagit County, 24 Nov 1987
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Legally Bland
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Just realised there are some pics after the article with two new names and a reference to testifying on Wednesday and Thursday.
______________
George Smith, a retired Skagit County sheriff’s deputy, shows the jury a bullet casing that was found near Tanya Van Cuylenborg’s body, during the trial of William Talbott II on Wednesday at the Snohomish County Courthouse in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Michael Grubb, who is retired from the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab, holds up a shell casing found in the vicinity the body of Jay Cook, during the trial for William Talbott II at the Snohomish County Courthouse on Thursday in Everett. (Andy Bronson / The Herald/POOL)
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/talbott-trial-testimony-retraces-a-30-year-murder-mystery/
BBM.
______________
George Smith, a retired Skagit County sheriff’s deputy, shows the jury a bullet casing that was found near Tanya Van Cuylenborg’s body, during the trial of William Talbott II on Wednesday at the Snohomish County Courthouse in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Michael Grubb, who is retired from the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab, holds up a shell casing found in the vicinity the body of Jay Cook, during the trial for William Talbott II at the Snohomish County Courthouse on Thursday in Everett. (Andy Bronson / The Herald/POOL)
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/talbott-trial-testimony-retraces-a-30-year-murder-mystery/
BBM.
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A former medical examiner, Dr. Eric Kiesel, explained the suffering Cook endured through a series of grim autopsy photos Friday. Blows to Cook’s head had left wounds, but they were not enough to kill him. He’d been strangled to death with twine tied onto red dog leashes. Tissue and a pack of Camel Lights had been shoved down his throat.
Family members stepped out of the courtroom before that testimony began.
In cross-examination, defense attorneys noted Kiesel once estimated that Cook was dead 36 to 72 hours before being found — implying he’d been alive for days after vanishing, an unexplained gap in the prosecution’s timeline.
Kiesel said that was only an initial estimate, and there’s no scientific way to pin down a time of death.
[...]
The young woman’s Minolta camera was missing. The camera body was never seen again, though the lens had been recovered at a pawn shop in Oregon in 1990.
[...]
Michael Seat, 59, a retired auto mechanic, met Talbott around the time Mount St. Helens erupted, according to his testimony Friday. The pair became close friends, he said, snorkeling in lakes in the summer and taking pictures.
“We even tried taking pictures while we were driving down the highway, just cars, we’d take pictures of sceneries, and we’d use his mom’s darkroom to develop everything,” he said on the witness stand.
[...]
[Timothy] McPherson testified that he helped Talbott to get hired at Hirschler Manufacturing, but his friend eventually lost the job and had to move out.
Deputy prosecutor Justin Harleman asked about Talbott’s build and appearance around 1987.
“He was heavy, maybe a bit overweight, and strong, could lift stuff,” McPherson said.
[...]
“You also didn’t see Bill in November of 1987?” asked Harleman.
“No,” McPherson said, “I did not.”
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/talbotts-former-roommates-testify-in-double-murder-trial/
BBM.
Family members stepped out of the courtroom before that testimony began.
In cross-examination, defense attorneys noted Kiesel once estimated that Cook was dead 36 to 72 hours before being found — implying he’d been alive for days after vanishing, an unexplained gap in the prosecution’s timeline.
Kiesel said that was only an initial estimate, and there’s no scientific way to pin down a time of death.
[...]
The young woman’s Minolta camera was missing. The camera body was never seen again, though the lens had been recovered at a pawn shop in Oregon in 1990.
[...]
Michael Seat, 59, a retired auto mechanic, met Talbott around the time Mount St. Helens erupted, according to his testimony Friday. The pair became close friends, he said, snorkeling in lakes in the summer and taking pictures.
“We even tried taking pictures while we were driving down the highway, just cars, we’d take pictures of sceneries, and we’d use his mom’s darkroom to develop everything,” he said on the witness stand.
[...]
[Timothy] McPherson testified that he helped Talbott to get hired at Hirschler Manufacturing, but his friend eventually lost the job and had to move out.
Deputy prosecutor Justin Harleman asked about Talbott’s build and appearance around 1987.
“He was heavy, maybe a bit overweight, and strong, could lift stuff,” McPherson said.
[...]
“You also didn’t see Bill in November of 1987?” asked Harleman.
“No,” McPherson said, “I did not.”
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/talbotts-former-roommates-testify-in-double-murder-trial/
BBM.
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Monday, June 24th:
*Trial continues (Day 7) (@ 9am PT) – WA – Jay Cook (20) & Tanya Van Cuylenborg (18) (Nov. 19, 1987, Skagit County; Tanya found 11/24/87, Jay 11/26/87) – *William Earl Talbott II (56/24 @ time of crime) arrested (5/17/18), charged (5/18/18), indicted (6/15/18) & arraigned (6/19/18) with 2 counts of 1st degree murder. Plead not guilty (6/19/18). $2.5M bail. DA will not seek DP. Investigators made a break in the cold case using a new strategy involving genetic genealogy (Parabon Nanolabs) & uploading DNA from the crime scene to a public, online genealogy (GEDMatch) database.
Trial started 6/14, and will last about 2-3 weeks (end of June). 12 jurors with 3 alternates.
Jury Selection hearings from 6/11/19 to 6/13/19 reference post #89 here:
Found Deceased - WA - Jay Cook, 20, & Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, Skagit County, 24 Nov 1987
6/14/19 Day 1: Opening statements by both sides. State witnesses: Linda Cunningham (worked for a LE dept. in British Columbia). John Van Cuylenborg (Tanya's bro). Laura Baanstra (Jay’s sister). Trial continues on Monday, 6/17.
6/17/19 Day 2: State witnesses: Forensic scientist from the Washington State Patrol crime lab, Angela Hilliard. Dave Willard. Trial continues to 6/18.
6/18/19 Day 3: State witnesses: Jm Scharf, Snohomish County Sheriffs Office cold case detective. Former sheriff Rick Bart was a homicide detective at the time. Scott Walker, a hunter [he found Jay]. Kara Hopper, who worked at Ben’s Deli in Allyn, Kitsap Peninsula. Former Skagit County deputy Jim Mowrer. Skagit County search-and-rescue volunteer Jenny Sheahan-Lee, now a detective sergeant at the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office. Judith Stone, store clerk, Hoodsport, about 30 miles north of Olympia. Trial continues to 6/19.
6/19/19 Day 4: George Smith, Skagit County sheriff’s deputy, now retired. No other info yet. Trial continues to 6/20.
6/20/19 Day 5: Michael Grubb, Washington State Patrol Crime Lab, now retired. No other info yet…. Trial continues to 6/21.
6/21/19 Day 6: Dr. Eric Kiesel, former medical examiner. Michael Seat (friend of Talbott's). Timothy McPherson (worked with Talbott). Trial continues to 6/24.
*Trial continues (Day 7) (@ 9am PT) – WA – Jay Cook (20) & Tanya Van Cuylenborg (18) (Nov. 19, 1987, Skagit County; Tanya found 11/24/87, Jay 11/26/87) – *William Earl Talbott II (56/24 @ time of crime) arrested (5/17/18), charged (5/18/18), indicted (6/15/18) & arraigned (6/19/18) with 2 counts of 1st degree murder. Plead not guilty (6/19/18). $2.5M bail. DA will not seek DP. Investigators made a break in the cold case using a new strategy involving genetic genealogy (Parabon Nanolabs) & uploading DNA from the crime scene to a public, online genealogy (GEDMatch) database.
Trial started 6/14, and will last about 2-3 weeks (end of June). 12 jurors with 3 alternates.
Jury Selection hearings from 6/11/19 to 6/13/19 reference post #89 here:
Found Deceased - WA - Jay Cook, 20, & Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, Skagit County, 24 Nov 1987
6/14/19 Day 1: Opening statements by both sides. State witnesses: Linda Cunningham (worked for a LE dept. in British Columbia). John Van Cuylenborg (Tanya's bro). Laura Baanstra (Jay’s sister). Trial continues on Monday, 6/17.
6/17/19 Day 2: State witnesses: Forensic scientist from the Washington State Patrol crime lab, Angela Hilliard. Dave Willard. Trial continues to 6/18.
6/18/19 Day 3: State witnesses: Jm Scharf, Snohomish County Sheriffs Office cold case detective. Former sheriff Rick Bart was a homicide detective at the time. Scott Walker, a hunter [he found Jay]. Kara Hopper, who worked at Ben’s Deli in Allyn, Kitsap Peninsula. Former Skagit County deputy Jim Mowrer. Skagit County search-and-rescue volunteer Jenny Sheahan-Lee, now a detective sergeant at the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office. Judith Stone, store clerk, Hoodsport, about 30 miles north of Olympia. Trial continues to 6/19.
6/19/19 Day 4: George Smith, Skagit County sheriff’s deputy, now retired. No other info yet. Trial continues to 6/20.
6/20/19 Day 5: Michael Grubb, Washington State Patrol Crime Lab, now retired. No other info yet…. Trial continues to 6/21.
6/21/19 Day 6: Dr. Eric Kiesel, former medical examiner. Michael Seat (friend of Talbott's). Timothy McPherson (worked with Talbott). Trial continues to 6/24.
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@Legally Bland - any updates from yesterday, 6/24? TIA! 
Legally Bland
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EVERETT — Prosecutors plan to rest their case Tuesday in the double murder trial of William Talbott II.
A state crime lab supervisor, who is expected to be the prosecution’s last witness, explained to a jury how Talbott’s genetic profile was found to match DNA from a crime scene, three decades after the killings.
Odds of a random match were 1 in 180 quadrillion, the lab supervisor Lisa Collins testified Monday in Snohomish County Superior Court.
That is 180 followed by 15 zeros.
[...]
Some of the original crime scene DNA had degraded from decades in storage, but not to the point that it was unusable.
A degraded sample doesn’t create a “phantom” profile that could lead to a false identification, Collins said.
“It doesn’t change the DNA at all, it just breaks it down,” she said.
The jury also heard testimony Monday from detective Jim Scharf about Talbott’s arrest.
[...]
Both sides said they would be ready to make closing arguments Tuesday.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/prosecutors-plan-to-rest-case-in-1987-cold-case-murder-trial/
A state crime lab supervisor, who is expected to be the prosecution’s last witness, explained to a jury how Talbott’s genetic profile was found to match DNA from a crime scene, three decades after the killings.
Odds of a random match were 1 in 180 quadrillion, the lab supervisor Lisa Collins testified Monday in Snohomish County Superior Court.
That is 180 followed by 15 zeros.
[...]
Some of the original crime scene DNA had degraded from decades in storage, but not to the point that it was unusable.
A degraded sample doesn’t create a “phantom” profile that could lead to a false identification, Collins said.
“It doesn’t change the DNA at all, it just breaks it down,” she said.
The jury also heard testimony Monday from detective Jim Scharf about Talbott’s arrest.
[...]
Both sides said they would be ready to make closing arguments Tuesday.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/prosecutors-plan-to-rest-case-in-1987-cold-case-murder-trial/
Legally Bland
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Sounds about right to me.Thanks Legally Bland.
So I'm going to guess that the pros rested yesterday, and defense will call witnesses - maybe - and rest - and then closing arguments.
There may have been gaps in the reporting, but it seems the evidence is limited to:
- Matching DNA on semen found on Tanya's pants;
- Matching palm print in the van;
- Living in the general area at the time of the crime; and,
- Knowledge of the area Jay's body was found.
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EVERETT — A SeaTac man chose to not testify in the landmark trialwhere he’s accused of killing a young Canadian couple in 1987.
[...]
His defense’s case amounted to about 10 minutes of testimony from an investigator. Talbott’s attorneys rested around 10:20 a.m., and the state called no rebuttal witnesses.
[...]
Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Linda Krese denied a defense motion Tuesday morning to dismiss both charges. One of Talbott’s attorneys, Jon Scott, argued there was no hard evidence linking the defendant to Cook’s homicide.
“It’s like multiplying by zero,” Scott said.
Krese, however, noted that Cook and Van Cuylenborg had last been seen in each other’s company, and that zip ties had been found at the crime scenes. A pack of Camel Lights had been shoved down Cook’s throat. The same kind of cigarettes were in the Cook family van, when it was found abandoned in Bellingham.
Krese left it up to the jury to determine if Talbott was guilty or not.
The defense called only one witness, Todd Reeves, a defense investigator who works with Scott. He testified Talbott’s past driver’s licenses showed an address in Riverside, a small town in Okanogan County where Talbott owned property.
Under cross-examination, Reeves testified Talbott had lived in SeaTac at the time of his arrest, though none of his official records reflected that.
The defendant grew up in the Woodinville area.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/defendant-talbott-declines-to-testify-in-double-murder-trial/
[...]
His defense’s case amounted to about 10 minutes of testimony from an investigator. Talbott’s attorneys rested around 10:20 a.m., and the state called no rebuttal witnesses.
[...]
Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Linda Krese denied a defense motion Tuesday morning to dismiss both charges. One of Talbott’s attorneys, Jon Scott, argued there was no hard evidence linking the defendant to Cook’s homicide.
“It’s like multiplying by zero,” Scott said.
Krese, however, noted that Cook and Van Cuylenborg had last been seen in each other’s company, and that zip ties had been found at the crime scenes. A pack of Camel Lights had been shoved down Cook’s throat. The same kind of cigarettes were in the Cook family van, when it was found abandoned in Bellingham.
Krese left it up to the jury to determine if Talbott was guilty or not.
The defense called only one witness, Todd Reeves, a defense investigator who works with Scott. He testified Talbott’s past driver’s licenses showed an address in Riverside, a small town in Okanogan County where Talbott owned property.
Under cross-examination, Reeves testified Talbott had lived in SeaTac at the time of his arrest, though none of his official records reflected that.
The defendant grew up in the Woodinville area.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/defendant-talbott-declines-to-testify-in-double-murder-trial/
Legally Bland
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EVERETT — A jury began deliberating Tuesday in the landmark trial of a trucker accused of killing a young Canadian couple in 1987.
[...]
Throughout the trial, the defense noted the days following the couple’s disappearance were unexplained gaps in the prosecution’s timeline.
“They want you to fill in the gaps,” defense attorney Rachel Forde said in her closing argument.
At both scenes, police found interlocked zip ties. More zip ties had been tied together in the Cook family van, a Ford Club Wagon, when police discovered it parked in downtown Bellingham.
“If there was any question that these murders were connected, there cannot be, when you consider this evidence,” [prosecutor] Baldock said.
The defense suggested Talbott’s semen could have ended up at the crime scenes — on pants in the van, and on Van Cuylenborg — from consensual sex.
Forde said police developed “tunnel vision” over the years, clearing people as suspects because their DNA didn’t match the semen.
“They never stopped to consider,” Forde said, “that perhaps the person who left the DNA was not the murderer. ”
She conceded Talbott had sexual contact with Van Cuylenborg.
“We can say that,” Forde said.
But that’s not enough, she argued, to convict him of murder.
[...]
In his rebuttal, Baldock said the defense had made a stunning argument, that we don’t know who the couple encountered that week in November 1987.
He pointed at the defendant.
“They crossed paths with him,” Baldock said. “We know that, without a doubt.”
The jurors walked into a room on the second-floor of the courthouse around 4 p.m., to start deliberating.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/defendant-talbott-declines-to-testify-in-double-murder-trial/
[...]
Throughout the trial, the defense noted the days following the couple’s disappearance were unexplained gaps in the prosecution’s timeline.
“They want you to fill in the gaps,” defense attorney Rachel Forde said in her closing argument.
At both scenes, police found interlocked zip ties. More zip ties had been tied together in the Cook family van, a Ford Club Wagon, when police discovered it parked in downtown Bellingham.
“If there was any question that these murders were connected, there cannot be, when you consider this evidence,” [prosecutor] Baldock said.
The defense suggested Talbott’s semen could have ended up at the crime scenes — on pants in the van, and on Van Cuylenborg — from consensual sex.
Forde said police developed “tunnel vision” over the years, clearing people as suspects because their DNA didn’t match the semen.
“They never stopped to consider,” Forde said, “that perhaps the person who left the DNA was not the murderer. ”
She conceded Talbott had sexual contact with Van Cuylenborg.
“We can say that,” Forde said.
But that’s not enough, she argued, to convict him of murder.
[...]
In his rebuttal, Baldock said the defense had made a stunning argument, that we don’t know who the couple encountered that week in November 1987.
He pointed at the defendant.
“They crossed paths with him,” Baldock said. “We know that, without a doubt.”
The jurors walked into a room on the second-floor of the courthouse around 4 p.m., to start deliberating.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/defendant-talbott-declines-to-testify-in-double-murder-trial/
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Wednesday, June 26th:
*Trial continues (Day 9)-Jury Deliberating (@ 9am PT) – WA – Jay Cook (20) & Tanya Van Cuylenborg (18) (Nov. 19, 1987, Skagit County; Tanya found 11/24/87, Jay 11/26/87) – *William Earl Talbott II (56/24 @ time of crime) arrested (5/17/18), charged (5/18/18), indicted (6/15/18) & arraigned (6/19/18) with 2 counts of 1st degree murder. Plead not guilty (6/19/18). $2.5M bail. DA will not seek DP.
Investigators made a break in the cold case using a new strategy involving genetic genealogy (Parabon Nanolabs) & uploading DNA from the crime scene to a public, online genealogy (GEDMatch) database.
Trial started 6/14, and ended on 6/25. 12 jurors with 3 alternates.
Jury Selection hearings from 6/11/19 to 6/13/19 & Trial dates (1-6: 6/14/19 to 6/21/19) reference post #126 here:
Found Deceased - WA - Jay Cook, 20, & Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, Skagit County, 24 Nov 1987
6/24/19 Day 7: State witnesses: Detective Jim Scharf. State Crime lab supervisor Lisa Collins. Prosecutors rest. Both sides say they will be ready to do closing arguments on Tuesday, 6/25.
6/25/19 Day 8: Prosecutors rested. Defense called one witness, a defense investigator. Defense rested. Talbott did not testify. State calls no rebuttal witnesses. Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Linda Krese denied a defense motion Tuesday morning to dismiss both charges. Defense witness: Todd Reeves, a defense investigator. Defense rests. Closing arguments. Jury began deliberating Tuesday @ about 4pm. No other info available on how long they deliberated. Jury deliberations continue on 6/26.
*Trial continues (Day 9)-Jury Deliberating (@ 9am PT) – WA – Jay Cook (20) & Tanya Van Cuylenborg (18) (Nov. 19, 1987, Skagit County; Tanya found 11/24/87, Jay 11/26/87) – *William Earl Talbott II (56/24 @ time of crime) arrested (5/17/18), charged (5/18/18), indicted (6/15/18) & arraigned (6/19/18) with 2 counts of 1st degree murder. Plead not guilty (6/19/18). $2.5M bail. DA will not seek DP.
Investigators made a break in the cold case using a new strategy involving genetic genealogy (Parabon Nanolabs) & uploading DNA from the crime scene to a public, online genealogy (GEDMatch) database.
Trial started 6/14, and ended on 6/25. 12 jurors with 3 alternates.
Jury Selection hearings from 6/11/19 to 6/13/19 & Trial dates (1-6: 6/14/19 to 6/21/19) reference post #126 here:
Found Deceased - WA - Jay Cook, 20, & Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, Skagit County, 24 Nov 1987
6/24/19 Day 7: State witnesses: Detective Jim Scharf. State Crime lab supervisor Lisa Collins. Prosecutors rest. Both sides say they will be ready to do closing arguments on Tuesday, 6/25.
6/25/19 Day 8: Prosecutors rested. Defense called one witness, a defense investigator. Defense rested. Talbott did not testify. State calls no rebuttal witnesses. Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Linda Krese denied a defense motion Tuesday morning to dismiss both charges. Defense witness: Todd Reeves, a defense investigator. Defense rests. Closing arguments. Jury began deliberating Tuesday @ about 4pm. No other info available on how long they deliberated. Jury deliberations continue on 6/26.
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Testimony ends in trial over 1987 murders of young Canadians
EVERETT, Wash. - Jury deliberation is set to begin Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. in the trial of a man accused in the 1987 double murder of a young Canadian couple in Western Washington.
One of the attorneys tells KOMO News they should reach a verdict by the end of the week, though it could take longer.
EVERETT, Wash. - Jury deliberation is set to begin Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. in the trial of a man accused in the 1987 double murder of a young Canadian couple in Western Washington.
One of the attorneys tells KOMO News they should reach a verdict by the end of the week, though it could take longer.
Here is a good overview of the case:
The horrific cold case that might be solved by tracing the suspect's family tree
The horrific cold case that might be solved by tracing the suspect's family tree
Legally Bland
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No, just this:So... no verdict yet?
________________
Caleb Hutton
@snocaleb
The jury has asked to see a map of Western Washington.
Caleb Hutton
@snocaleb
Request has been denied. Jurors were told they have access to all the exhibits that were admitted. (There were maps of portions of Western Washington.)
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Jurors weighing the fate of William Talbott in the nation's first cold-case murder trial involving #geneticgenealogy have been excused for the day. Deliberations resume Thursday.
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