Trial delayed again for suspects in 2014 Lacey homicide

The trial for the final two suspects in the January 2014 death of Daniel Smith was delayed again Wednesday by Thurston County Superior Court Judge Eric Price.

Ronny G. McDaniel, 19, and Nickolas M. Armajo, 18, had been scheduled to stand trial next week. Both men face charges of first-degree robbery and first-degree murder.

But at Wednesday’s hearing, attorney Richard Woodrow, who represents McDaniel, asked Price for a continuance in the case.

“Mr. McDaniel’s case is a complex case, he was 17 years old at the time,” Woodrow said.

Deputy Prosecutor Wayne Graham didn’t object to the continuance, despite the case being nearly two years old.

“We’re interested in resolving it, but we want to do it the right way, given the nature,” Graham said.

Armajo’s attorney, Karl Hack of the Office of Assigned Counsel, didn’t object to the continuance either.

The two suspects will next appear in court on Feb. 3 at a pretrial hearing.

Three others charged in the case — Ryan Anderson, Stephen Pettit and Eric Adamczewski — accepted plea deals, and have been sentenced.

According to court documents, the suspects drove to meet Smith at a Lacey apartment complex to purchase marijuana, and Pettit, McDaniel, Adamczewski and Armajo got out of their vehicle and approached Smith’s car.

McDaniel allegedly pulled out a gun and pointed it at Smith, who started to drive away. McDaniel fired, hitting Smith in the shoulder, court documents allege.

McDaniel and Armajo left the scene. They were found the next day in Idaho. The other three suspects were arrested at the scene of the shooting.

This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Trial delayed again for suspects in 2014 Lacey homicide."