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53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, November 14, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 27, 2004 Harelson jury deliberates into second day By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Jurors return today to decide if Jack Lee Harelson plotted to kill four people, including two who played key roles in his conviction for looting American Indian graves. Prosecutors Tuesday argued Harelson’s serious intent to murder a retired Josephine County Circuit Court judge, an Oregon State Police lieutenant and two former business partners. Through an undercover police informant, Harelson arranged the demise of Brookings resident Lloyd Olds, his former partner in a Nevada opal mine, they said. Harelson gave a fictional hit man black opals to carry out the killing, according to the prosecution. But a hit man never would have entered the picture if police hadn’t cooked up the plan, argued Harelson’s defense attorney Bob Abel. "Law enforcement officers did something wrong," Abel said. "They’re playing a con game." Relying on a defense of police entrapment, Harelson, 64, testified Monday that his discussions with informant Brian Doland are just an example of boasting between two friends. He knew all along there wasn’t a hit man, Harelson told the court. Advertisement Yet entrapment does not apply just because police give someone the opportunity to commit a crime, argued Josephine County District Attorney Clay Johnson. Officers gave Harelson plenty of chances to back out during their six-month investigation in 2002 and 2003, he said. "(Harelson) eagerly embraced that opportunity with a gusto that shows you the degree of his hatred," Johnson said. He highlighted 13 key excerpts of tape-recorded conversations between Doland and Harelson. Jurors last week heard Harelson say on tape that he hoped to kill Olds and Richard Ledger, also a partner in the opal mine; OSP Lt. Walt Markee; and Circuit Court Senior Judge Loyd O’Neal. Markee investigated Harelson’s theft of two Paiute children’s corpses from a cave in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. O’Neal presided over Harelson’s 1996 trial, calling him a thief when the Grants Pass resident tried to characterize himself as an amateur archaeologist. "I’m not a (expletive) thief. I never was, but I am a killer. No doubt in my mind, I’m a killer," Harelson told Doland. The taped statement was again played in court Tuesday. Abel objected to jurors’ hearing the tapes for a second time in the week-long trial, saying it amounted to retrying the case. He demanded a mistrial after Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Lorenzo Mejia overruled his objection. Mejia denied the motion, saying the tapes were already received as evidence. Deliberating for nearly five hours Tuesday, jurors are asked to return a verdict for eight separate charges — attempted aggravated murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated murder, four counts of solicitation for murder and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted, Harelson will spend a minimum of 10 years in prison. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities