Thursday, July 26, 2012

Bethany, OR: Bethany man charged with domestic-violence killing awaits release hearing

A Bethany man accused of murdering his girlfriend will have to wait until January for a release hearing.

Paul Joseph Sanelle, 34, appeared in court Tuesday afternoon for a status check in his case Washington County Circuit Judge Jim Fun.

In a courtroom crowded with victim Julianne Lisa Herinckx's family, Fun set Sanelle's release hearing for Jan. 8, 2013.

Criminal investigation in the case began April 29, when Washington County sheriff's deputies responded about 8 a.m. to a report of an unconscious woman at the Oak Hill Apartments in Bethany. Deputies found Herinckx, and she was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Herinckx's cause of death was blunt-force trauma, according to the state medical examiner's office. Investigators say Sanelle assaulted her over time and she died of her injuries.

Sanelle, 34, was arrested May 11 in the killing. Grand jurors indicted him on one count of murder constituting domestic violence.

At Tuesday's hearing, Sanelle wore an orange jumpsuit from the county jail, where he is lodged without bail. He has not waived his right to a release hearing. His attorney, Sohaye Lee, indicated the defense needs to see more evidence in the case before that hearing. Defense attorneys filed a request for discovery last month, according to court records.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Rob Bletko said in court Tuesday that prosecutors had begun turning over evidence to Sanelle's defense attorneys, including a notebook today assembled by the lead detective on the case.

Lee asked the judge to set an additional status check in the case prior to the January hearing. Fun set a court appearance for next month.

No comments: