Lawyers claim shooting suspect too immature for death penalty

EVERETT, Wash. — Attorneys representing at 20-year-old man accused of fatally shooting three former classmates at a house party north of Seattle say evidence suggests he has been living with untreated neurological problems and potential mental illness.

The Daily Herald reports the attorneys say more study is needed before prosecutors decide whether to seek Allen Ivanov’s execution.

Preliminary testing also suggests the 20-year-old Ivanov has the brain development of somebody years younger, defense attorney Walter Peale wrote in court papers.

Peale filed the pleadings Thursday in preparation for a Dec. 14 hearing. He wants Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Janice Ellis to extend into January the time prosecutors can be presented information that may help them decide whether to seek the death penalty for Ivanov.

The Mukilteo man is charged with aggravated murder in the July 30 killings in Mukilteo of Anna Bui, Jacob Long and Jordan Ebner, all 19.