Judge denies Cramm new trial

By Scott North

Herald Writer

An Everett teen convicted of fatally shooting two 18-year-olds will not get a new trial simply because his father is now claiming his son's gunplay saved his life, a Snohomish County judge has ruled.

Dennis Cramm's motion for a new trial was denied Wednesday in a written opinion from Superior Court Judge Linda Krese.

The defendant's father, Dale Cramm, 45, has not offered information that jurors weren't already aware of in February when they convicted Dennis Cramm, 18, of two counts of first-degree murder, Krese wrote.

"Because the testimony proffered by Dale Cramm merely corroborates the testimony of other witnesses, and because the court finds Dale Cramm's testimony to be of dubious credibility, the court concludes that even if a new trial were granted, the outcome likely would be the same," the judge wrote.

Jurors found Dennis Cramm guilty of murder when they determined he exercised extreme indifference to human life on May 30 when he repeatedly fired an SKS military-style rifle into a car that was carrying five other young people.

Jesse Stoner and Jason Thompson were struck by the bullets. The pair were unarmed and had been trying to flee the Cramms' south Everett home after an arranged fistfight between the younger Cramm and another teen escalated into gunfire.

Dennis Cramm testified that he shot through the car trying to hit a man who had come to watch the fight, and later opened fire after grabbing a pistol from one of the defendant's supporters.

Several witnesses testified seeing Dale Cramm on his knees being held at gunpoint by the man, Krese noted.

Dale Cramm declined to testify at his son's trial, citing his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. He later changed his mind, and his son's attorney, Royce Ferguson of Everett, filed a motion for a new trial.

Dale Cramm testified Monday that his son had shot to save him from being killed. He also admitted lying to police about what happened that night. The judge wrote that much of what he had to say was inconsistent with testimony of other witnesses, and "it is highly unlikely that Mr. Dale Cramm's testimony would be believed by the jury, except to the extent it was corroborated" by others.

Ferguson said Dennis Cramm plans to appeal. Krese earlier sentenced him to 60 years in prison.