Fred Russell Loses Another Legal Battle
SPOKANE — Convicted drunk driver Fred Russell lost another legal battle in a Whitman County courtroom Friday.
Attorneys for the former fugitive asked Whitman County Judge David Frazier to reconsider a previous ruling that denied Russell credit for the time her served he served in an Irish prison following his apprehension in Dublin, Ireland.
Judge Frazier denied Russell’s request.
Russell spent 384 days in Cloverhill Prison near Dublin while fighting against his extradition back to the United States to face charges that he was responsible for a chain reaction collision on the Moscow – Pullman Highway that took the lives of three Washington State University students in June of 2001.
He lost that legal battle and five years after he fled the country he was extradited back to the United States in 2006. He was convicted late last year on all counts and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Friday’s hearing was held via teleconference. Russell, who is currently serving his sentence at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen, did not participate in the hearing.
