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CLEAR Temp: 65 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Friday, July 4, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 2, 2003 Family bonds severed by fatal crash The trial begins thisweek for man who, in a drunken-driving accident, collided into a Mustang carrying a family friend By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune For the family of a Ruch man killed in a car crash last year, coming face to face with the accused man means confronting a former friend. Edwin Shane Coen, 30, of Jacksonville, stands trial this week, charged with killing his former Boy Scout troop leader, 58-year-old Burke McNulty Thompson. "I think it makes it so much harder that we know the family," said Thompson’s daughter-in-law, Dianne Thompson, of Central Point. Prior to the crash that claimed Burke Thompson’s life, Edwin Coen’s mother had shared Thanksgiving dinner with the Thompsons, Dianne said. Coen’s younger sister even lived with Dianne and her husband, Shaun, while attending college in Salt Lake City, she said. Both families attended the Mormon church. Advertisement Although the Thompsons said they bear no ill will toward Coen’s family, their relationship was forever changed on Feb. 13, 2002, when Coen’s full-sized pickup truck collided head-on with Thompson’s 1967 Ford Mustang on Highway 238 near Forest Creek Road. Paramedics pronounced Thompson dead after they pulled him from his car, police said. Coen was treated for minor injuries. Coen was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol. His blood-alcohol level around the time of the 8:30 p.m. crash was .25 percent — more than three times the legal limit — according to Holly Smith, deputy district attorney for Jackson County. Another driver following Coen saw his pickup swerve off the road and jump back onto the highway about a mile before the crash, Smith said in her opening statement to the jury. Coen’s defense attorney Jeni Feinberg admitted that Coen was intoxicated while driving along Highway 238. Yet he didn’t cause the crash, she said. Witnesses for the defense would testify that the Mustang’s brakes locked up, causing Thompson’s car to swerve into Coen’s lane, Feinberg said in her opening statement to the jury. Coen had drunk nearly an 18-pack of Coors Lite prior to the crash, but he was able to function normally because of his tolerance for alcohol, Feinberg said. Coen had been drinking heavily — between 12 and 18 beers each day — for about six years, she said. "At a .25, Eddie Coen looked normal to the people who knew him," she said. "The prosecution will prove without a reasonable doubt that Eddie Coen was driving under the influence of intoxicants," Feinberg said. "The question will be whether there’s the same certainty that Eddie Coen caused Burke Thompson’s death." If convicted of the manslaughter charge, Coen would spend a minimum of six years and three months in prison under Oregon’s Measure 11 sentencing guidelines. Coen served 10 days in jail following convictions of DUII and careless driving in 1997. He completed a diversion program on a prior DUII charge in 1994 and was convicted of attempting to elude police in 2000. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times