Ponchos, umbrellas and rain jackets surrounded Humboldt State University’s Redwood Bowl this morning as graduates celebrated their commencement. Among them, in a full cap, gown and graduation stole, was Charmaine Lawson, sitting in place of her son, David Josiah Lawson. David Josiah Lawson, who was a 19-year-old sophomore when he was fatally stabbed at an […]
David Josiah Lawson
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‘This is Heartbreaking:’ Vigil Commemorates Second Anniversary of Lawson’s Killing
Encircled by more than 100 people at the center of the Arcata Plaza during a candlelight vigil on the second anniversary of her son’s death, Charmaine Lawson took the microphone and fell silent. She took off her red hat with “Josiah” embroidered across the back, doubled over and wept until a friend embraced her. She […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
My Conversation with Richard Ehle
As a reporter, there are moments you remember with incredible clarity. Sometimes it’s because the moments are monumental, like when a source called in 2007 to tell me a criminal grand jury had just indicted two Eureka police commanders on manslaughter charges. Other times, it’s because they pull at your heart strings, like when I […]
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DA Fleming Will Ask the Attorney General’s Office to Handle Prosecution in Lawson Case
Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming will formally ask the state Attorney General’s Office to handle prosecution of the David Josiah Lawson case going forward. “Next week I will make a formal, in-writing request to the Attorney General’s Office to take over any future prosecution of the case,” she said in a release today. The […]
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Charmaine Lawson ‘Outraged’ at APD’s Press Release, State of Investigation into Son’s Killing
Charmaine Lawson, the mother of slain Humboldt State University sophomore David Josiah Lawson, issued a statement yesterday criticizing the Arcata Police Department’s handling of the homicide investigation, calling it “beyond negligent.” The statement came in response to an APD press release issued Wednesday that announced the creation of a 24-hour tip line in the case […]
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If Prosecutors Can Get a Grand Jury to Indict a Sandwich, Why Couldn’t They Get One to Indict Kyle Zoellner?
There’s an old courthouse adage that says a competent prosecutor could get a criminal grand jury to indict a ham sandwich, if he or she wanted. “It’s ancient lore that the criminal grand jury sits as a bulwark of the citizen versus the overzealous government but the truth is they generally do what prosecutors want […]
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APD Seeks Public’s Help in Lawson Case
With the investigation into the 2017 stabbing death of Humboldt State University sophomore David Josiah Lawson back in its lap, the Arcata Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying witnesses. The department sent out a press release this afternoon announcing that it has set up a 24-hour tip line — (707) 825-2590 […]
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Protests Follow Grand Jury’s Decision Not to Indict Suspect in Lawson Case
Red hats, scarfs and sweaters enveloped the exterior of the Humboldt County Courthouse and “Justice for Josiah” and “I stand with Charmaine Lawson” signs sat on the steps on March 15, as Lawson began to speak. “We’re not going to stop fighting, this doesn’t end,” she said. “Thursday’s decision doesn’t end. (District Attorney) Maggie Fleming, […]
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Speakers Urge Arcata City Council to Seek State Help in Lawson Case
Almost two dozen people gathered in the Arcata City Hall lobby before tonight’s city council meeting, prepared to ask the council to seek outside help in the David Josiah Lawson investigation after a criminal grand jury declined to hand up indictments in the case, sending it back to the Arcata Police Department for further investigation. […]
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‘This Doesn’t End;’ Hundreds Attend Vigils Demanding ‘Justice for Josiah’
Red hats, scarfs and sweaters enveloped the exterior of the Humboldt County Courthouse and “Justice for Josiah” and “I stand with Charmaine Lawson” signs sat on the steps, as Lawson began to speak. “We’re not going to stop fighting, this doesn’t end,” she said. “Thursday’s decision doesn’t end. Maggie Fleming, if you can hear me, […]