LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) — A judge has recused himself from a double-murder case in Longview after saying he received a phone call about it from a retired appeals court judge.
The Daily News reports (http://bit.ly/nCM2K5) that Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Jim Stonier told attorneys this month in an email that he had received a call from retired appellate Judge C.C. Bridgewater complaining about the way the case of Michael Feeney was being handled.
Feeney is charged in the April killings of his ex-wife, Dana Enyeart, and her friend, Bruce Kamp. Bridgewater is a friend of the Kamp family, and Stonier said that during the call, Bridgewater complained that the prosecutor didn’t seem to realize the victims were “important members of the community.”
Stonier said he’s recusing himself because the call left the impression that Bridgewater was trying to influence the case and raised questions about whether Feeney could receive a fair trial.
