Role Prosecutor Nationality American | Occupation Attorney Name Norm Maleng | |
Alma mater University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington School of Law Died May 2007, Seattle, Washington, United States Education University of Washington School of Law, University of Washington | ||
News conference following the death of norm maleng
Norman Kim Maleng (September 17, 1938 – May 24, 2007) served as the King County, Washington, Prosecutor for 28 years. He was also an architect of Washington's Sentencing Reform Act.
Contents
- News conference following the death of norm maleng
- Pearl kim receives 2015 norm maleng minister of justice award
- Career
- Legislative accomplishments
- Notable deputy prosecutors
- Death and honors
- References
Pearl kim receives 2015 norm maleng minister of justice award
Career
Maleng was born in Acme, Washington, and grew up on a dairy farm. Known as "Kim" during his youth and to those close to him throughout his life, he graduated from the University of Washington in 1960, then served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He obtained his law degree in 1966 from the University of Washington Law School, serving as editor-in-chief of the Washington 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.
In 1982, Maleng supervised the wrongful conviction of a Seattle man, Steve Titus, on a rape charge. Titus was convicted despite testimony that he was not even in the area at the time the crime was committed. A newspaper reporter, Paul Henderson, was able to investigate and prove that police misconduct and fabrication of evidence led to the conviction. The conviction was thrown out and Titus sued, but he died shortly afterward. Subsequently, the actual rapist was arrested and convicted for a series of rapes he committed over several years in the Seattle area. Paul Henderson ultimately won a 1982 Pulitzer Prize for his work.
Maleng was involved in a number of high-profile cases, most notably the 1983 Wah Mee Massacre, the 2006 Seattle Jewish Federation shooting committed by Naveed Afzal Haq, and the serial murders of Gary Ridgway, known as the Green River Killer. He was the prosecutor of King County during the investigation of Jerramy Stevens for rape, and was responsible for deciding not to file charges.
He ran for the Republican nomination for Governor of Washington in 1988 and 1996. In 1992, he lost an election for Attorney General to Christine Gregoire.
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.
Legislative accomplishments
Notable deputy prosecutors
Attorneys who worked for Maleng as deputy prosecuting attorneys include Marsha J. Pechman, Robert S. Lasnik and Ricardo S. Martinez, all judges of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, and Dan Satterberg, the current Prosecutor.
Death and honors
Maleng died of cardiac arrest during an event at the University of Washington on May 24, 2007.
In December 2007, the King County Regional Justice Center in Kent, was renamed in his honor.
Later in June 2008 Harborview Medical Center opened Norm Maleng Building on its campus.