Arcan Cetin, the man suspected of killing five people in the Cascade Mall last September, was in court Thursday afternoon related to charges that could bring the death penalty.
Cetin was charged January 4 in Skagit County Superior Court with aggregated first-degree murder -- that’s the only charge in Washington that brings the potential of the death penalty. However, even if convicted there are questions of whether Cetin would be put to death.
On Feb. 11, 2014, Gov. Jan Inslee said he was suspending the use of the death penalty in Washington, saying he hoped it would enable officials to "join a growing national conversation about capital punishment." Inslee was reelected to a four-year term in November 2016.
KIRO 7 reporter Amy Clancy was in court for Cetin's 1:30 p.m. hearing and will have a live report from Skagit County on KIRO 7 News from 5-6:30 p.m. Watch on TV or use our livestream link here.
Cetin was expected to have an arraignment Thursday – where he would plead guilty or not guilty – but that was changed after his defense asked for competency evaluation. On a judge’s order, Cetin will have an evaluation done by Western State Hospital staff, and that’s expected in the next two weeks.
Cetin is expected back in court in two weeks, and the results of the evaluation are expected to be presented. His defense could ask for an extension at that hearing, or he could be arraigned.
The prosecution’s death penalty decision will be made within 30 days of his arraignment, and that arraignment date is not certain. The decision is at least six weeks away.
Cetin was previously charged with murder in Skagit County District Court.
Those District Court charges were filed immediately so investigators had additional time to investigate without going against Cetin’s right to a speedy trial, Skagit County Prosecuting Attorney Richard Weyrich said in September.
The Superior Court charges were initially expected in 2016, but were not filed until this week.
The victims in the September 27 shootings are Sarai Lara, age 16; Shayla Martin, 52; Chuck Eagan, 61; Belinda Galde, 64; and Beatrice Dotson, 95.
Follow this link to read a Q and A about the Cascade Mall shooting case.
Cox Media Group
