MONROE, Wash. (AP) — Washington’s Department of Corrections is remembering slain officer Jayme Biendl on the anniversary of her death.
Biendl was strangled by inmate Byron Scherf in the chapel of the correctional complex in Monroe on Jan. 29, 2011. Corrections staff are taking part in a 5-K run, a candlelight vigil and a statewide moment of silence Sunday to remember her.
Three of Biendl’s coworkers were fired for failing to secure the chapel, being outside their assigned zones that night, or making false statements related to the case. Since the slaying, the prison says it has increased training, changed staffing and improved how inmates are classified.
Scherf was already serving a life sentence, and now faces a charge of aggravated first-degree murder that could bring the death penalty.
