Suspect in Ave. attack pleads not guilty

Timothy Strano pled not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder at his arraignment yesterday for a skateboard attack on the Ave. that killed one man earlier this month.

King County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ramsdell presided over the hearing attended by friends and families of Strano and of the deceased, Demetri Andrews.

The not-guilty plea caused some shifting in the courtroom but, according to prosecuting attorney Steve Fogg, the not-guilty plea is typical for a case of this sort.

"The arraignment is just to announce what the charge is; he enters a plea. They always enter a plea of not guilty," said Fogg.

The plea can change later, though Fogg expects there will not be any surprises.

"It's a very straightforward case," said Fogg. "I don't expect anything breathtaking to happen."

However, George Strano, Timothy's brother, doesn't see the case as so clear-cut.

"Self-defense is no crime," said George before the arraignment. He hopes to hire an attorney for his brother if he gets enough money.

Timothy does not have much faith in the attorney the state has assigned him, according to his brother.

After the plea, Fogg requested a no-contact order between Timothy Strano, George and Joseph M. Tremato (both of which police say were with Timothy at the time of the alleged assault), a move Fogg said is standard in cases involving witnesses.

"You don't want the witnesses to influence each other," Fogg said. "It could change their recollection of what occurred."

However, the no-contact order presented a more personal problem to Timothy.

"The no-contact order means no contact whatsoever: no phone calls, voicemails, e-mails or even third parties making contact on our behalf. Do you understand all that, sir?" said Ramsdell.

"You mean I can't talk to my brother?" Timothy asked.

Tremato was initiailly arrested by police and has not been charged, but is still under investigation by police for his role in the assault-turned-murder, according to Fogg. It is unclear at this time whether he will be charged at all.

Timothy has another hearing scheduled for May 9, but the details of what will be discussed have not yet been determined.

If the case goes to trial, it will probably be three to four months from now before Timothy sees a jury, said Fogg.