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62 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, March 18, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 14, 2005 Accused to claim insanity in 1993 slaying By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune The 12-year-old case of an Ashland train enthusiast’s murder is set to close without a trial. Carlton resident Walter Earl Jaffke is scheduled to plead guilty today to a first-degree manslaughter charge in the 1993 slaying of Ed Krahel. Attorneys plan on stipulating to certain facts, including that Jaffke, 34, was insane when he killed Krahel, said defense attorney Robert Abel. Krahel, 44, was found dead on Jan. 25, 1993, in his Meade Street home, which had been set ablaze. A former mayoral candidate, Krahel was known around Ashland for his fondness for railroad memorabilia. His property at the time of his death was surrounded by box cars, cabooses and a locomotive that he had restored. Police failed to arrest a suspect in the years after Krahel’s killing, leading friends and neighbors to believe the crime would never be solved. Although detectives continued to work the case, an officer’s chance encounter with Jaffke yielded the first big break. Little information has been released about the circumstances of Jaffke’s February 2004 arrest. Authorities have said only that a California Highway Patrol officer developed information that Jaffke was involved with Krahel’s murder. Advertisement A grand jury on Feb. 20 indicted Jaffke after Jackson County authorities heard he had been arrested near Bakersfield, Calif. Relatives in Southern California had reported Jaffke missing, police said. Prosecutor Beth Heckert said he may have been en route between Carlton and Hemet, Calif., when he was taken into custody. Suffering from apparent mental issues at the time of his arrest, Jaffke spent several months in the Oregon State Hospital while psychologists tried to determine if he was able to assist attorneys in his defense. Although charged with murder, Jaffke will plead guilty but insane to the manslaughter count under a negotiated agreement, Abel said. His client will be under the jurisdiction of the state’s Psychiatric Security Review Board for a period of 20 years, Abel said. Unlike prison, such a sentence aims to teach patients to manage their mental illness and compels them to take medication and complete treatment. Many such convicts eventually are released to live in society. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [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 Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Advertisement s