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Three major Whatcom County trial outcomes of 2025 so far

Stories by Bellingham Herald journalists, with AI summarization

Three major trial outcomes stand out in Whatcom County for 2025 so far. In one murder case, a second jury again deadlocked in the trial of Alexander Vanags for the 2019 Baker Lake campsite killing, resulting in another mistrial. Meanwhile, a civil trial held Bellingham Police Department accountable for not preventing a former officer’s domestic abuse, with a $2.25 million damages verdict against the city.

In another murder trial, John Roper Thomson was convicted of second-degree murder and firearm charges for shooting his brother near Diablo Lake. Each trial revealed different facets of criminal and civil justice in Whatcom County courts this year.

Former Bellingham Police Cpl. Brooks Owen Laughlin, right, was sentenced to 8 years in prison Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018, in Whatcom County Superior Court. He was found guilty in November of physically abusing a woman from September 2016 until his arrest last spring. By Lacey Young

NO. 1: JURY FINDS CITY OF BELLINGHAM RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGES IN HANDLING OF FORMER OFFICER’S ABUSE

A jury ruled that the Bellingham Police Department did not take the necessary steps to prevent domestic abuse carried out by one of its former officers.  | Published April 10, 2025 | Read Full Story by Hannah Edelman

Alexander Vanags of Arlington testified in Whatcom County Superior Court on April 9, 2025, in Bellingham, Wash. He was on trial for second-degree murder for the second time after his first trial in 2022 ended in a mistrial because the jury deadlocked after one day of deliberation. Vanags is accused of using a machete to kill 28-year-old Mark Stebakov of Arlington on April 13, 2019, while the two were camping near Baker Lake. By Rachel Showalter

NO. 2: SECOND JURY DEADLOCKS IN WHATCOM COUNTY MURDER TRIAL OVER 2019 CAMPSITE KILLING

A mistrial was called after the jury failed to come to a unanimous decision about whether Alexander Vanags was guilty of second-degree murder. | Published April 15, 2025 | Read Full Story by Hannah Edelman

John Thomson, who was charged with first-degree murder, testifies during his April 2025 trial in Whatcom County Superior Court. By Hannah Edelman

NO. 3: WHATCOM COUNTY JURY REACHES VERDICT IN TRIAL OF MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING HIS BROTHER

John Thomson fatally shot his brother in August 2022 near Diablo Lake. | Published May 5, 2025 | Read Full Story by Hannah Edelman

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.