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May 2nd, 2005

COURT OF APPEALS AFFIRMS CONVICTIONS IN TWO MAJOR FELONY CASES

SKAGIT COUNTY - Skagit County Prosecuting Attorney Tom Seguine announced today that the Washington Court of Appeals had affirmed convictions managed by his office in two major felony cases.  The appellate cases were managed by Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Erik Pedersen.

The first was State v. Steven L. Bartholomew, an Attempted Murder case in which Bartholomew and another defendant, Christine Annyas, were jointly convicted of attempting to kill Annyas’ mother on November 17, 2002.  The two were accused of engaging in an argument with Annyas’ mother which culminated into a joint beating of her and subsequent dumping of her in a remote area of the county near Lake Cavanaugh.  The defendants bound the victim with jumper cables from a car, and left her semi-conscious in a wet marshy area in the middle of a cold November night.  She managed to get loose from the cables and make her way to Lake Cavanaugh Road, where people driving by picked her up and brought her back to Burlington. 

Bartholomew and Annyas were convicted after a jury trial that lasted about two weeks.  Bartholomew received a long prison sentence.

Codefendant Annyas’ case is currently pending before the Court of Appeals.

The second case affirmed by the Court of Appeals was State v. Jay Dale Hughes, a sexual assault case involving multiple counts of sexual assault against three minor children.  Hughes was convicted of multiple counts and was also eventually sentenced to an extended prison term. 

Both cases are subject to further review by the Washington Supreme Court.

For further information contact Tom Seguine at 360-336-9460.