The King County criminal justice system slowed down again in the hit-and-run murder case against a SeaTac girl charged in the July 2021 death of Gregory Moore while he jogged in Maple Valley.
A judge has yet to set a trial date as the case drags on and on. The latest hearing Dec. 14 at the Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center in Seattle pushed the case out again. A variety of reason for continuances has led to the lengthy case.
“The defense presented a subpoena for CPS (state Child Protective Services) records to the court and requested additional funding for an expert,” said Casey McNerthney, spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, in a Dec. 15 email. “There are two collateral interviews remaining with the respondent (a SeaTac teen) for the expert to complete.”
The girl, now 17 but 15 at the time of the incident, was charged in September 2021 with killing Moore, 53, as he jogged in the morning near his Maple Valley home. The Kent Reporter is not naming the girl because she is a juvenile. She has remained in custody at the Children and Family Justice Center since deputies took her into custody in September 2021.
“Defense indicated that the written report from the expert would be available on the week of Jan. 18,” McNerthney said. “Prosecutors (and defense) would like to schedule the case setting hearing that following week to discuss the next steps in the case.”
Judge Nelson Lee agreed, McNerthney said. The case setting hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Feb. 1 in room 3D of the Child and Family Justice Center. That date is nearly 17 months after prosecutors charged the girl with second-degree murder.
Prosecutors charged the girl for allegedly hitting Moore with a car and then fleeing the scene. She pleaded not guilty. The case remained unsolved for about eight weeks. King County Sheriff’s Office detectives used headlight fragments found near the scene, video surveillance and other evidence to identify a 2004 Toyota Camry that reportedly hit Moore and led detectives to the girl.
In addition to the second-degree murder charge, the teen also faces a second-degree assault and felony hit-and-run charge in a separate case. During the investigation into Moore’s death, detectives found evidence that led to further charges against the girl in a July 2021 hit-and-run in Des Moines that reportedly injured a pedestrian who has not yet been identified.
Youth who are 16 at the time of a crime can legally be charged as an adult if they are charged with a felony. The girl was charged in juvenile court because of her age.
The Moore family pushed hard for prosecutors to try the girl as an adult, but prosecutors stayed with their initial decision. If convicted by a judge as a juvenile, the teen will be released when she turns 21. If convicted by a jury in adult court, the girl could have faced a sentence of up to 20 years.
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