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Accused Mukilteo shooter could face death penalty

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — Since the death penalty was legalized in Washington in 1981, only three people in Snohomish County have been sentenced to death and two of them have been executed.

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Prosecutors said in Snohomish County Court Monday that capital punishment is on the table in the Allen Ivanov case. The 19-year-old was formally arraigned on five charges Monday.

The moment Ivanov walked into the courtroom, there were audible sobs.

Parents of the teens who had been murdered and critically wounded held on to each other as the judge read off the charges: aggravated murder for the shooting deaths of Anna Bui, Jordan Ebner, and Jacob Long and attempted murder for injuries to Will Kramer and two other boys police say Ivanov fired at when he ambushed the teens at a Mukilteo house party in July.

Ivanov’s defense will have until December to try to dissuade the Snohomish County prosecuting attorney from pursuing the death penalty.

“In my experience, if you prepare a good mitigation package and give it to the prosecutor, they are open to not filing what’s called a death notice,” explained Todd Maybrown, a criminal defense attorney.

While Maybrown does not represent Ivanov, he says the death penalty is always a costly option. According to a recent Seattle University study, it costs about $1 million more than life in prison.

“There’s also resources from the prosecutor’s office. You usually assign somebody working solely on that case for a long period of time,” Maybrown continued.

He says it’s a painful process.

Just the 10 minutes Ivanov sat in the courtroom Monday were horribly painful for the families.

They chose not to speak with the media after the arraignment.