Judge orders evidence preserved in 1974 Franklin County Courthouse bombing

A judge has ordered that all evidence in the 1974 bombing at the Franklin County Courthouse be preserved while the lone suspect fights to get DNA testing done.

Ricky Anthony Young has asked that what’s left of the bomb materials be tested, since that science didn’t exist when he was tried 40 years ago.

Young, 64, is serving a life sentence for killing Judge James Lawless. He was convicted of first-degree murder because his partial fingerprints were found on bomb fragments.

Young has long maintained that law enforcement did not get the right guy, and now has the backing of the Innocence Project Northwest.

Two Seattle attorneys filed the motion asking that 24 pieces of evidence in the case be sent to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab for testing and comparison against Young’s DNA.

The items include a portion of an address label from the outside of the package, fragments of pipe and wire used in the electrical circuitry of the pipe bomb, and black electrical tape used to insulate the wire.

A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 15 in Franklin County Superior Court.

In the meantime, Judge Bruce Spanner signed an order that the Franklin County Clerk’s Office and the Sheriff’s Office keep the evidence for five years, and make it available for review by prosecutors and defense attorneys.

This story was originally published December 7, 2015 at 7:39 PM with the headline "Judge orders evidence preserved in 1974 Franklin County Courthouse bombing."