'There's no justice being done'
YAKIMA, Wash.-- One of the main suspects in the West Valley triple murder will not be going to jail. A judge dismissed all of Tracy Culton's charges yesterday, just one week before the 2 year anniversary of the murders. Now it seems like there may never be anyone to answer for the deaths of Bill, Pauline and Bettye Goggin.
"They were sweethearts and to think there's no justice being done that's what irritates me so bad," said Carmen Hamill, a neighbor and friend of the Goggins.
Some think it's the end of the road in a 2 year old triple murder case.
"The only other suspect they had has been let go and it's just, its hard to really comprehend at this moment," another neighbor, Fran Rose said.
Tracy Culton's case has been dismissed and friends of the late Betty, Bill, and Pauline Goggin want justice.
"This was such a horrific crime and one of the worst in the valley in 30 years," said Rose.
She wants the case to continue even without any additional suspects. But after 2 years and virtually nobody held accountable for the murders, her expectations aren't high.
"I would hope that they would continue their investigation," Rose said. "Personally I just don't have any hope that they're going to resolve this case. I think that they had the right person the first time so that's my opinion."
Carmen Hamill and her husband spent a lot of precious time with the Goggins.
"She always made things for me and felt like a member of the family," Hamill said.
She too, wants the case to go further than ending with the release of Tracy Culton.
"We still have hope," she said. "I don't want to give up hope that there will be some punishment."
Losing their friends have made them question their safety because without a suspect put away for the killings, it means there is a murderer on the loose.
"You have to almost live in a prison to feel that you're really secure and who wants to live like that," Hamill said.
For now, nobody will be behind bars for killing three members of the Goggin family: a case that still sends shock waves through this small community.
Kevin Harper is still in custody awaiting sentencing after striking a plea deal. Taxpayers paid 370-thousand dollars for his case. Tracy Culton's case was dismissed without prejudice. Information on the cost of her case will be released next week. That means charges can be filed at a later time.
"They were sweethearts and to think there's no justice being done that's what irritates me so bad," said Carmen Hamill, a neighbor and friend of the Goggins.
Some think it's the end of the road in a 2 year old triple murder case.
"The only other suspect they had has been let go and it's just, its hard to really comprehend at this moment," another neighbor, Fran Rose said.
Tracy Culton's case has been dismissed and friends of the late Betty, Bill, and Pauline Goggin want justice.
"This was such a horrific crime and one of the worst in the valley in 30 years," said Rose.
She wants the case to continue even without any additional suspects. But after 2 years and virtually nobody held accountable for the murders, her expectations aren't high.
"I would hope that they would continue their investigation," Rose said. "Personally I just don't have any hope that they're going to resolve this case. I think that they had the right person the first time so that's my opinion."
Carmen Hamill and her husband spent a lot of precious time with the Goggins.
"She always made things for me and felt like a member of the family," Hamill said.
She too, wants the case to go further than ending with the release of Tracy Culton.
"We still have hope," she said. "I don't want to give up hope that there will be some punishment."
Losing their friends have made them question their safety because without a suspect put away for the killings, it means there is a murderer on the loose.
"You have to almost live in a prison to feel that you're really secure and who wants to live like that," Hamill said.
For now, nobody will be behind bars for killing three members of the Goggin family: a case that still sends shock waves through this small community.
Kevin Harper is still in custody awaiting sentencing after striking a plea deal. Taxpayers paid 370-thousand dollars for his case. Tracy Culton's case was dismissed without prejudice. Information on the cost of her case will be released next week. That means charges can be filed at a later time.
I spent two years to long in jail on these charges, when the sheriff detectives and prosecuter's had proof of me being in the hospital at the time of the murder. That's two years of my life I can't get back.Â
Oh, and at $70 a day, it cost us $51,000 just to hold Ms. Culton.
The miscarriage of justice is that Tracy Culton was held for two years with zero evidence of her participation in the crime. She was in the hospital the entire time the crime occurred, she passed a lie detector test, there was zero physical evidence linking her to the crime, and the story that she told people she had done it is totally bogus. Someone associated with Kevin Harper stole her phone and sent texts to people she knew "confessing" to the crime, yet saying that "Kevin Harper had nothing to do with it". Kevin Harper is guilty as sin. Kevin Harper walked. THAT is the real injustice here. That, and Tracy Cullton sat rotting two years in jail because the prosecutors needed someone to take the blame and couldn't figure out how to let her go without embarrassing themselves. Some poor excuse for justice this is.
Who can blame citizens for buying all the guns they can; when murderers walk free?
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From what I have read this is a gross miscarriage of justice.
Who is held accountable for all the tax-payers money and the waste of our court system?
And what if anything is being done to make sure this never happens again?
Itâs way past time to stop bargaining with criminals.
We need competent people in our law enforcement and the prosecuting attorneys office;
Willing to work diligently and relentlessly to bring murders to justice.
Donât get me wrong; I do not want overzealous prosecutors â trying to advance their careers by wining every case whether a person is guilty or not.
This case has weakened the public trust in our judicial system and must be rectified ASAP!!
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 @bigiron You hold the people responsible for the costs, etc accountable for voting to recall the Prosecutor Hagarty.
Bargaining with "criminals" has nothing to do with this. There were no "Bargains." Two people were charged with crimes the prosecutor had no evidence of. Mr. Harper pled to the crimes that could be proven, and that he was guilty of. If it was not for "Bargaining" this prosecutors office could not get a conviction to save their jobs.
It is not the judicial system at fault, except for not requiring that the internal investigation be continued. It is he voters who voted in Hagarty without looking at his history, and the prosecutor;s office who let us down. Even the police told them that she was not guilty, and yet they needed someone to charge.
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The only "criminal" that the prosecutors bargained with during this time was a certain prosecutor who was charged with DUI and blew over the legal limit. Perhaps the voters need to hold him accountable?
And perhaps the newspapers should stop relying on what his office tells him, and starts doing some investigation of their own?