The mike webb case can finally be closed

Mike Webb was in the courtroom Friday. if not hovering in the ether, most certainly in the portrayal of him with a microphone accurately inked on his little sister's upper arm.

Jail officers led the defendant into Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ramsdell' courtroom, and removed his handcuffs. Wearing the red felony pajamas that denote the highest-security risk prisoners in the King County Jail, Scott Brian White is still scrawny, but considerably less scruffy than when he was busted in 2007 with his mullet colored with purple Kool-Aid.

Making eye contact with no one, he stiffly held his arms and hands straight down like a recalcitrant 5-year-old, looking straight ahead at the judge. (the if-looks-could-kill crowd in the gallery behind him were drilling his skinny backside with a fusillade of high-caliber eye-fire.

(photo: Mike lives again on Marian Bogni's left, naturally, arm)

It was tense in the small courtroom. Nearly all the seats were taken by Webb's friends, fans and family; a smattering of curiosity seekers, and a squadron of media crowding the jury box with video cams and notebooks.

Scott White is no ordinary petulant little boy: he's a brutal killer with a 10-year history of mental illness and extreme (crystal meth, heroin, crack) drug abuse.

The judge said he's responsible for one of the two most violent slayings he's seen in his many years on the bench.

(photo: White and attorney, Julie Lawry)

The core of the friends and family group were Mike Webb's siblings, Marian Bogni, and Wayne Webb. Seated around them on the oak benches were Jeremy Grater, Mike's KIRO producer, (now KOMO afternoon drive news editor). Bob Vesely, Mike's old friend and webmaster; Caleb Hayes, the deadly earnest, anti-Bush high school kid befriended by Webb at the age of 12; and Jane Bengston, Mike's friend and surrogate mom. There was no one from KIRO.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Don Raz called on a few friends and family who lined up to urge the judge to give a longer prison sentence than the low-end of the range one prosecutors were asking for.

Bengston told the court that after bludgeoning Webb, White had made a breezy to-do list: wash the walls, clean the basement, and "be nice to the people who survived." (As workers cleaned out Mike's rented house after the murder investigation, Bengston rescued bags and bags of Webb's old clothes, and took them home, saving them from the ignominy of the dumpster). (photo: Jane Bengston)

"[Mike Webb] was like Mother Theresa, he really was," said Hayes. The state, he said, had let him down by not finding Mike's body for several months causing him to fear the murderer might come after him, too. "I just hope the state won't fail me again and let an axe murderer out in a few years."

(photo: hagiographer Caleb Hayes gets emotional)

Marian Bogni and Wayne Webb have been serving as family spokesfolks during these ugly 2 years and 3 months since the grubby murder. The Seattle Police made some colossal mistakes; the prosecution came up looking lame which added extreme frustration to their intense pain."I don't have an accurate vocabulary to describe how I feel,"  Wayne told the court.

Living in California, and being geographically far from the legalities has added to their feelings of helplessness. Wayne Webb told Ramsdell that "nobody deserves to die like that. Mike surely didn't deserve to die at all, let alone at the hands of an ax murderer."

                                           (photo: Marian Bogni)

Lawry, seeking a lower than standard range sentence for White, argued that he was sevAnd has taken responsibility for this case. And the family has been reconciled to the fact that Mike Webb had some responsibility as well."

She argued that Mike Webb himself, as a progressive,and someone who suffered mental illness, would probably support leniency for Scott White. (if he hadn't been murdered, inconveniently, by him).

Over the past 2 years, while determining White's sanity, Lawry developed a defense file in case White ever went to trial. After his guilty plea, it became the "mitigation package," containing the rationale (if that's the word) that White had for brutally murdering Webb.

(photo: Wayne Webb)

The judge called the file "hefty," and took the prosecution to task for its lack of countering evidence, particularly when they were asking for a sentence in the low end of the sentencing range. Why were they doing that? he asked and why wasn't this "substantial" file being rebutted by the state?

The file, which will become public, claims Webb had culpability in his own murder: White claims he killed Webb to avoid Webb's sexual entreaties; and that Webb was not clean and sober and was trying to make the younger man dependent on him by supplying prescription drugs.  

But Ramsdell, having read the file, said there was no credible evidence that Webb was abusing illegal or prescription drugs, despite the prosecutor's acknowledgment that Webb's computer showed he'd made prescription-drug purchases on the Internet in the name of a long deceased lover.

The judge found White's claim he was repeatedly pressured into sex not believable. White later admitted to investigators that after the murder that he had consensual sex with at least 2 other men- one in exchange for cash, the other for heroin.

White was given the opportunity to speak. Reading a prepared statement, he apologized and said that he's "filled with so much pain and sorrow." He wrote a more personal letter to the Webb family which was given to Raz by the judge to be passed along to the Webbs if "it isn't inappropriate, and they care to read it"

In a we-are-the-ones-we've-been-waiting-for moment, White said, "The person that did this evil deed is not who I want to be," With his back to us, he appeared to be weeping, and being comforted by Lawry. But watching the video (see below) his eyes were tearless, the crying seemingly faked).

The motive was stealing Mike Webb's money for drugs. White used Webb's food stamps debit card, pawned his belongings; hid Mike's body, then posed as him in messages and email to fool the family. 

"The facts of this murder are indisputably horrific and gruesome," Ramsdell said. "In my mind, Mr. White is not some poor, unfortunate victim of circumstance. He's a master manipulator who will do whatever it takes to attain his own ends."

Smiles and tears broke out in the courtroom when Judge Ramsdell sentenced White to 244 months - a 220-month sentence with a 24-month enhancement for using the axe.

(photo: Judge Ramsdell)

Later, Marian Bogni said Prosecutor Dan Satterberg's failure to ask for the maximum sentence was "a big slap in the face." But they were pleased after the sentencing. "I'm grateful for the judge's common sense in the case, " Wayne said. 

It seems this story might finally be over. It seemed never ending from the December day in 2005 when Mike Webb was fired by KIRO; through his fraud trials and tribulations, his disappearance and death; then the long, long time his murderer Scott White sat in jail without a court date.

Maybe now the Webbs and everyone else touched by this tragedy can find some peace.

Comments

[sparky]

You covered it well, Bla'M. I can't watch the video. But I am sure the family has a little peace, even if they would trade that to have Mike back again. He had a pretty tough life all along, some of it because of the choices he made, some of it beyond his doing. But, as his brother said, nobody deserves to die like that.

[Duffman]

'...nobody deserves to die like that.'

Indeed...and further does ANY one really 'deserve' to die; think about it.
Thanks for the coverage Bla'M.

[Wild Bill]

Aw, gee, Hood, you come out all nice and squeaky clean, just a hard working blog man seeking truth. Excuse, my halbut dinner is about to blow chunks. I'm allergic to Hypocrisy. Knowing what he thought of you, Webb would have printed this out and used it wipe his ass, dude. Mike Webb was one of Seattle's finest....

[Meow]

Hey Wild Bill,
Is there any reason for your "what he thought of you" comment other than Hood shining some light on the less than appropriate behavior Webb exhibited? Just because someone got murdered doesn't erase their history of lying, cheating, possible illicit drug use (giving him wide benefit of the doubt), and any other illegal and unethical behavior. Let's not blame the messenger.

[Fremont]

The mitigation file portends meaty reading. If you bite on any juicy morsels while digesting it, Bla'M, we hope you will pass them on to us. The case may be closed, but the mystery remains....

[Santos Claus]

If Michael had put himself into this story, you would have bitched about that. Blatherwatch covered Mike Webb from day one. thanks for the great nightcap, Michael

[Wild Bill]

MEOW, never give a corpse an even break! "Just because someone got murdered,,," Sheesh......... I thought I posted a reply to your reply, but I either fucked up the complex delivery process, or, it was taken down....so,,,,,my point is that Blatherwatch is a fine blog, but it ain't Edward R. Murrow, it's more like a radio talk "show," which ain't "news" (whatever that is, these daze)...given that, Hood's jabbing and poking and chasing at Webb is subject to being subject. Me? Mine stinks (sometimes real bad), so I don't mind examining the messenger. Meow, don't you challenge the Messengers? You should. Mike Webb, rest in peace (and in pieces),,,we're all meatsacks at the end of the day; it's what we does during that day that shmatters. May Jeevis blest us awl!

[Cyn]

This is the story of the decline of a very flawed individual. Mike Webb did not deserve his horrible fate, but it wasn't altogether a surprise considering the muck he wallowed in during his last years. He will be in my prayers for many years.

[Mark C.]

If Mike Webb could speak he'd be blaming George Bush, Michael Hood and the homophobic religious nuts that he got dead.

[meow]

Wild Bill,
I'd challenge the messenger IF I had reason, sure no reason to blame him, a different matter altogether. Seems like we are in agreement, "it's what we does during that day that shmatters." Webb did not do right, even if you liked the guy more than I did. I don't think he deserved to die, and definitely not in that way, but I don't see flattering him either. Oh, maybe your ... wasn't ending on a positive note?

[NoBS]

Hood, when you say no one from KIRO was there, could you clarify if that means no one was there to show support as in attending the hearing, or that no one was covering the sentencing from KIRO. I find both to be a sad commentary on KIRO, but KIRO's news product is rather sad too.

[Wild Bill]

MEOW, I had a few cheeseburgers a few times at Dicks on Broadway (A Webb joint), leaning on the metal counter while Mike wolfed down a couple Deluxes and fries and a coke. No vain "star," he'd talk to anybody about anything, and seemed no more a monster or villian than half the swinging dicks in Nickellsville. Just a brudder from a nudder mudder. He seemed like a regular dude,with warts, fat and all. As it goes, only one mythic fairy tale dude was perfect, and look what the hell they did to him! I'm just saying Hodd, like all of us, has an axe to grind, and there ain't no other editorial force in blatherwatch, so it's his blog, his axe, and that's the way it is. You choose to swaller it whole, that's cool, me I examine the bits in the free sausages. Don't matter if we deserve to die, we do anyway. Think of Gene Hackamn in the Unforegiven, "I don't deserve this, I was building a house,,,," "I'll see you in hell, William Munney."......Eastwood, "I reckon you will." BLAM!

[mrogi]

Mike Webb's psychotic behavior and irrational choices led inexorably to his death. The final year of Mike's life played out like Film Noir or Greek tragedy. You could see disaster coming but there was nothing anybody could do to save him. Nothing we could do.

[Ron & Judy Marquardt]

Webb was no villain, just dishonest, meanspirited, narcissistic on one hand, and needy, weak and terribly vulnerable on the other. He didn't seem to learn lessons when his excesses got him in trouble, he just denied he was wrong and blundered on. We feel so sorry for his family and friends. One can assume it might have been different if Steve (his partner who passed away) had been still in his life.

[sparky]

Im sure your kind words bring comfort to the family.

[KSR]

R&J, that's probably the best observation of Webb yet.

[nevets]

Mike Webb might not have deserved to die at that moment but reading Scott Whites claim that "he was repeatedly pressured into sex" may have been the start of an even darker period in Webbs life. Lets be happy we will never know that darker side.

Hey, check out how President Obama supports our troops.

[mrogi]

If I suffered from addiction and a gay man supplied my drug habit, I would probably move into his home. But if he tried to make me suck his cock when I was high I might get angry enough to kill.

[Coiler]

But what if you suffered from occasional earaches and Sarah Palin moved into your home and made you angry enough to use drugs?

[Drew]

Palin's numbers have hit "rock bottom" (to quote Sean Hannity), so it's plausible that cons who gave her a lot of their hard-earned money are pissed about what a poor and totally unreliable investment she's become.

[Wild Bill]

Palin's going to create a "Third" Party, split the Repubhubs and keep Hope Alive.

[Drew]

And one way to keep hope alive among your supporters is to quit your job early without explanation, amidst ethics investigations.

[Drew]

When Palin creates the Third Party, remember the "h" is silent.

[joanie]

Wow! I think Julie is taking it harder than Scott. She's doing her best to pass along a dose of empathy. But it ain't working.

I'm actually laughing. Scott has no understanding of his actions nor remorse at all. Poorly reading lines written by his attorney. What an act! Hooray for the honest observations of the judge.

Who made this about Palin? I haven't thought about her in four days. Damn! You went and ruined it! I wonder how many sociopaths America can claim? Maybe becoming our national illness: sociopathy.

[nevets]

"Poorly reading lines written by his..."

WTF???? Since when is that such a big priority of yours there Joanie. Remember, you voted for Obama.

[Wild Bill]

..BY SAYING KEEP HOPE ALIVE, I MEANT (YOU DOLTS) THAT BY PALIN CREATING A TURD WAY, IT ENSURES OUR GREAT PRESIDENT'S VICTORY...

[Tommy008]

Levi has it right. The ex-fiance of Bristol Palin went on the Today Show and bascially said Palin quit to cash in on the googobs of money she thinks she can get now because of her celebrity. He said he won't vote for her now,if she makes a presidential run, because he doesn't think she's up to the job. I'll bet the Gretchen Wilson CD'a have been turned up a good bit louder than normal in Sarah's house latley, so the kiddies can't hear her using foul language about Levi, as she shouts, yells and stamps her feet..

[Aaron Strauss]

Thank you for the good job of covering the court hearing for Mike Webb's murderer. I worked with Mike Webb in San Francisco radio during the late 1970's-early 1980's and was shocked to hear of his slaying.

Mike struggled with alcohol/drug addiction and pychiatric issues even back then. On one hand, Mike was a very talented broadcaster...on the other hand, Mike was volatile, unpredictable and paranoid. I kept my distance because of this--although Mike had a number of likeable qualities about him. I always thought of him as a "troubled soul".

Mike Webb did not deserve what happened to him and his murderer should have received life without parole.