The verdict in the trial of Christopher Monfort, accused of killing Seattle police Officer Timothy Brenton, will be read at 9 a.m. Friday.
A King County jury on Thursday afternoon reached a verdict in the capital case against Christopher Monfort, who is accused of killing Seattle police Officer Timothy Brenton in 2009.
The verdict will be read in court at 9 a.m. Friday, according to court officials. The delay will give family members and others time to gather in the Seattle courtroom.
The verdict came during the fourth day of deliberations in the potential death-penalty case. Monfort, 46, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to five felony charges, including aggravated murder in the fatal shooting of Brenton on Halloween night 2009.
He is also accused of starting a fire and setting off pipe bombs that destroyed a handful of police vehicles at the city’s Charles Street maintenance yard, and of trying to kill other officers, including Brenton’s then-rookie partner.
Most Read Local Stories
The case was placed in the jury’s hands late Monday morning after four months of testimony.
On Tuesday, jurors requested three additional copies of four documents that were entered into evidence, court records show. According to the list of exhibits admitted during trial, the jury asked for copies of a report authored by defense psychologist Dr. Mark Cunningham, Cunningham’s notes from interviews with Monfort, a psychiatric evaluation of Monfort and an addendum to that evaluation.
Otherwise, it does not appear jurors had asked any questions or sought clarification from the judge or attorneys in the case before reaching the verdict.
While Monfort’s defense team conceded he committed the crimes, the main question for jurors was whether Monfort was insane at the time Brenton was killed as part of a larger plot to kill officers in order to end to police brutality. The defense contends Monfort suffers from a delusional disorder and believed his actions were both legally and constitutionally correct.
The state argued Monfort was not only sane but also fully aware his actions were wrong.
In order for Monfort to be found not guilty by reason of insanity, jurors would have to unanimously decide he suffered from a mental disease or defect to such an extent that he was unable to tell right from wrong.
If Monfort is convicted of Brenton’s murder, the case will move to a penalty phase to determine whether he will face life in prison or the death penalty.