Norm Maleng | |
|---|---|
| King County Prosecuting Attorney | |
| In office January 3, 1979 – May 24, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Chris Bayley |
| Succeeded by | Dan Satterberg |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1938-09-17)September 17, 1938 Acme, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | May 24, 2007(2007-05-24) (aged 68) Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Judy Maleng |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Washington |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Norman "Kim" Maleng (September 17, 1938 – May 24, 2007) was an American attorney and politician who served as theKing County Prosecuting Attorney for 28 years.[1] He was also an architect of Washington'sSentencing Reform Act.[1]
Maleng was born inAcme, Washington, and grew up on a dairy farm. Known as "Kim" during his youth, he graduated from theUniversity of Washington in 1960, then served as a lieutenant in theUnited States Army. He earned aJuris Doctor in 1966 from theUniversity of Washington Law School, serving as editor-in-chief of theWashington Law Review and graduating at the top of his class.
He worked in private practice in Seattle, and then as chief of the Civil Division of the Prosecutor's Office. In 1978, he was elected as Prosecutor, and was re-elected seven times.[1][2]
Maleng was involved in a number of high-profile cases, including the 1983Wah Mee massacre, the2006 Seattle Jewish Federation shooting committed by Naveed Afzal Haq,child sexual abuse allegations againstKing County Superior Court JudgeGary Little, and the serial murders ofGary Ridgway.
Maleng's office made several controversial decisions not to prosecute various University of Washington football players over his tenure as King County Prosecuting Attorney, for alleged offenses that ranged from battery to sexual assault. His office declined to prosecuteJerramy Stevens for sexual assault, announcing on October 24, 2000, that no charges would be brought forward. Around 2008, Maryann Parker, the detective investigating the case, said: "I thought [Jerramy] should have been charged. I think most people in the Police Department thought he should have been charged. From the police perspective, I think there was overwhelming evidence that a crime had occurred. And then I think we should have left it to a jury to decide. I think we just felt, in our unit and in the Police Department as a whole, that this case was handled differently. And we felt it was because he was a University of Washington football star.”[3]
He ran for the Republican nomination forGovernor of Washington in 1988 and 1996. In 1992, he lost an election forAttorney General toChristine Gregoire.[4]
Maleng is credited with bringing several large scale policy reforms to Washington State's Criminal Justice system including passage of the 1984 Sentencing Reform Act, tougher penalties for car thefts in 2007 and rethinking the prosecution of low level drug offenses by placing emphasis on treatment options after a first or second offense, rather than lengthy prison sentences.
Attorneys who worked for Maleng as deputy prosecuting attorneys includeMarsha J. Pechman,Robert S. Lasnik andRicardo S. Martinez, all judges of theU.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, andDan Satterberg, his successor
Maleng supervised the wrongful prosecution and conviction of Steve Titus in 1981. Titus was convicted based upon evidence manufactured byPort of Seattle police, with the knowledge of prosecutors. The conviction was overturned after the deception was exposed by a Seattle Times reporter, Paul Henderson.[5][6]
Maleng died ofcardiac arrest during an event at the University of Washington on May 24, 2007.[1] In December 2007, the King County Regional Justice Center inKent, was renamed in his honor.[7]
In June 2008,Harborview Medical Center opened Norm Maleng Building on its campus.[8]
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | King County Prosecuting Attorney 1978-2007 | Succeeded by |