Yesterday’s Battle of the Badges at the Northern California Community Blood Bank was a competition with one clear winner — patients. The friendly rivalry between 16 local public safety agencies brought the highest number of donors the nonprofit blood bank has seen in a single day since 2001. In total, 188 people gave their time, […]
Maggie Fleming
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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 […]
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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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Attorney: Zoellner Thanks Jurors, Hopes Police Will Seek ‘Truth’ in Lawson Investigation
After a criminal grand jury targeting him opted not to issue an indictment, a McKinleyville man suspected in the stabbing death of David Josiah Lawson hopes the jury’s decision “will allow law enforcement to investigate the case from a new perspective and seek the truth,” according to a press release from his attorney. “Kyle Zoellner […]
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APD Chief Vows to Keep Investigating Lawson Case Despite Grand Jury’s Refusal to Indict
Shortly after the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office announced this afternoon that a criminal grand jury had declined to indict anyone in connection with the 2017 stabbing death of David Josiah Lawson, Arcata Police Chief Brian Ahearn told the Journal that his department is committed to continuing its investigation into the 19 year old’s slaying. […]
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McGuire Applauds Death Penalty Moratorium That Halts Executions of Two Humboldt County Inmates
North Coast State Sen. Mike McGuire issued a statement this morning applauding Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to halt state executions in California and shutter the lethal injection chamber at San Quentin State Prison for his tenure in office. Newsom’s decision offers an immediate — if temporary — reprieve to the state’s 737 death row inmates, […]
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Lawson Feels Son’s Case is Moving Toward an Arrest After Meeting with DA
Charmaine Lawson said she emerged from a meeting with the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office yesterday feeling the investigation into her son’s 2017 stabbing death is moving “in the direction of an arrest” and that she’s “somewhat satisfied” with the case’s progress. Charmaine Lawson has been publicly critical of law enforcement and prosecutors since her […]