SEATTLE -- Friday's pre-trial appearance by accused cop-killer Christopher Monfort began with him reciting the names of people who died in confrontations with police and ended with him quoting America's most famous corset-maker, the revolutionary and writer Thomas Paine: Silence becomes its own kind of crime when it operates to cover or encourage the guilty.
The hearing lasted two minutes and will resume in late May.
That was one big thud for the news day. The other big thud was the dropping of a huge pile of documents from the King County Prosecutor's Office. The Seattle Times spearheaded the request for the release of those files and prosecutors complied Friday.
It's a big stack, hundreds of documents relating to the murder of Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton and the subsequent arrest of Christopher Monfort. It shows a thorough investigation and a trail of DNA evidence, street-camera video, witness reports, websites, car models and more that led to a Tukwila apartment where the suspect was living.
Police radio traffic from the day of the arrest shows officers were very concerned that Monfort might not be the only dangerous person at the apartment complex. They move carefully, with the crime scene not deemed secured, even though the suspect had been shot and arrested.
Patrol units on the way to the scene were warned to stay off the radio and those arriving were made aware that police were still trying to determine if there was an additional threat.
When it was all over, there is relief and a bit of sarcastic humor in some of the radio exchanges.
One arriving officer asks where the staging area is, which building in the complex.
The one with about 30 cars in front of it! comes the caustic response.
Well I'm by the entrance and there's about 50 cars here! is the retort.
