The May trial of a Hockinson man accused of hiring a former Oregon cellmate to kill his wife in a murder-for-hire plot has been delayed until early December.
James Rummell is charged with aggravated murder in the first degree-domestic violence and solicitation to commit murder in the first degree with premeditation in the death of his wife, Lindy Rummell, 60.
He pleaded not guilty to his charges on April 10 during his arraignment hearing in Clark County Superior Court. He previously faced a possible trial date slated for May 20, which has now been pushed to Dec. 2. Judge Robert Lewis will oversee the trial. If he is convicted, James Rummell faces life in prison without parole.
Rummell’s omnibus hearing, a pretrial hearing providing an opportunity for plea negotiations, set for Thursday, April 18, was pushed to 9 a.m., June 6, as part of the delayed trial date in Clark County Superior Court. A status conference for the trial will be held Aug. 15, and a readiness date has been set for Nov 22.
Rummell’s defense attorney Louis Byrd requested Rummell’s bail be set at $500,000, which Lewis denied on April 10. Rummell has been in jail since Judge John Fairgrieve first denied him bail on April 1. Rummell would only need to post 10 percent, $50,000 to reach bail.
According to court documents, Rummell is suspected of hiring his former prison cellmate, Darrell Riley, to kill Lindy Rummell for $35,000 and a motorcycle, according to court records.
The documents also state that Rummell told another friend he was fighting with his wife and that she had a $100,000 life insurance policy.
The Eugene Police Department in Oregon arrested Riley. He has been identified as the primary suspect in the case, according to court documents, and awaits extradition to Clark County from jail in Oregon.
