One of six suspects charged in connection with the December home-invasion robbery and slaying of a Vancouver man pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree murder.
Caleb E. Soucy, 28, of Vancouver also pleaded guilty to an unrelated fourth-degree assault charge relating to a physical altercation he had in January with a bicyclist in eastern Clark County.
Clark County Superior Court Judge Roger Bennett set sentencing for Aug. 5.
Under the state’s sentencing guidelines, Soucy faces a punishment of between roughly 33 years and 42 years in prison; prosecutors will seek the low end of the sentencing range, said Senior Deputy Prosecutor John Fairgrieve.
The guilty plea was a last-minute arrangement. Fairgrieve said Soucy’s attorney, Mike Foister, told Fairgrieve Monday afternoon that his client was accepting the prosecutor’s offer.
Bennett, who was handling the afternoon criminal docket, agreed to hear Soucy’s case at the end of the docket. Family members of Charles N. Moore, 46, the man who was slain, were notified at 3 p.m.
Prosecutors allege Soucy was one of the masked intruders who accompanied slaying suspect Douglas Alan Marquis to Moore’s home in the 5300 block of Northeast St. James Road on Dec. 13. Marquis is accused of fatally shooting Moore, while others allegedly robbed and ransacked the home. Two of the victim’s roommates also were present.
According to court documents, Soucy allegedly pistol-whipped one of the roommates when he didn’t answer a question appropriately.
In April, an anonymous witness came forward to police, implicating Soucy in the crime. The witness reported seeing Soucy enter Moore’s home and detain the roommate in a back room, according to court documents.
Soucy is the first defendant to plead guilty in connection to the slaying. The other defendants, all from the Vancouver area, have varying trial dates.
Suspected shooter Marquis, 22, and another defendant, Cathleen M. Potter, 46, are set to go to trial Oct. 25. Court documents indicate Potter was a former girlfirend of Moore.
Minna R. Long, 23, goes to trial Aug. 2, but the trial is expected to be postponed. Joshua B. McAlexander, 30, is set to go to trial Aug. 9. And Garold T. Jacobsen, 27, is scheduled for trial Nov. 15.
Fairgrieve declined comment on whether the other defendants are expected to plead guilty, saying only that talks of a resolution in their cases are ongoing.
