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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 29, 2005 David Michael Jurich Ashland murder case confession thrown out By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Police violated an Ashland murder suspect’s constitutional rights during an interview that elicited the man’s confession to last year’s slaying of a paroled sex offender. Judge Ray White, of Jackson County Circuit Court, ordered prosecutors Friday to exclude the videotaped confession of 25-year-old David Michael Jurich from evidence to be presented at trial. Police illegally provoked Jurich’s admission to the crime after the suspect repeatedly asked for an attorney, White said. Arrested Nov. 3 in Reno, Nev., Jurich told Medford and Jackson County detectives that he attacked David Evan Rice in a drunken rage when the 68-year-old sex offender "flashed" him and asked the younger man to lie down in bed with him. Rice was found on Oct. 29 bludgeoned to death in room 8 of the Relax Inn on Ashland’s Clover Lane. Jurich initially denied he had ever stayed at a motel with Rice, whom he had met in jail. The two men occasionally panhandled together while living on the streets, Jurich said. After he asked to speak to a lawyer, detectives continued to talk to Jurich for approximately six minutes. Advertisement "I really think it was a way to kind of keep the ball rolling," White said. Sheriff’s Detective Colin Fagan testified in Circuit Court Monday that he thought the conversation was over when Jurich invoked his right to legal counsel, but investigators couldn’t leave the Reno Police Department interview room, which was locked from the outside. While they waited for someone to unlock the door, Fagan and Medford Police Detective Bill Ford informed Jurich of a warrant for his arrest and his pending extradition to Medford. Fagan also spoke of the importance of hearing all sides of the story so he wouldn’t have to "jump to conclusions" about the crime. White said he believed investigators continued talking to Jurich to glean incriminating statements. "They used standard persuasive techniques," White said. White cited several U.S. Supreme Court cases in which justices ruled if a suspect requests an attorney, police must cease questioning until the suspect initiates further contact. Prosecutor Tim Barnack argued Friday that Jurich continued talking to Ford and Fagan in an attempt to establish a defense of insanity as the result of drug and alcohol use. "I’m pretty much insane, I know that already," Jurich told the police. White ordered that Jurich be taken to the Oregon State Hospital in Salem to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Jurich’s Nov. 15 trial has been postponed until Jan. 24. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail Ashland murder case confession thrown out ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s