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By Melissa McRobbie Grants Pass Daily Courier October 20. 2014 4:14PM State appeals early release of juvenile killer The state Department of Justice has appealed a decision by a Jackson County Circuit Court judge to release Trevor Walraven, the man convicted of murdering Black Bar Lodge owner Bill Hull during a 1998 carjacking. Walraven, who was only 14 at the time of the execution-style killing, was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the crime. Although he has served only about 16 years of that sentence, he was eligible for a "second look" hearing to determine whether his punishment should be reduced. Oregon law allows such hearings in certain cases involving juvenile offenders. Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Timothy Gerking was called in for the hearing because Josephine County judges had conflicts of interest. After hearing testimony from a number of character witnesses, including Oregon Department of Corrections workers, who said they believed Walraven was reformed, Gerking on Sept. 12 ordered that Walraven be released within 45 days. Walraven and his older brother, Josh Cain, carjacked Hull at gunpoint near Wolf Creek and then shot him in the head, leaving his body along a logging road, according to testimony when the two were convicted in Josephine Circuit Court in 1999. The teens then took Hull's SUV on a joy ride and used it to go on a date. Under questioning by District Attorney Stephen Campbell during the "second look" hearing, Walraven confessed for the first time to shooting Hull, and denied that his brother participated. Cain is currently serving a 25-year sentence for the killing. He was an adult at the time of the crime and is not eligible for a "second look" proceeding. When Gerking announced his decision to release Walraven, he suggested that the teen's actions might have been spurred by his use of methamphetamine. Reach reporter Melissa McRobbie at 541-474-3806 or [email protected]. http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141020/NEWS/141029963 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->