State of Washington v. Martie M. Soderberg

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJune 28, 2022
Docket38111-1
StatusUnpublished

This text of State of Washington v. Martie M. Soderberg (State of Washington v. Martie M. Soderberg) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State of Washington v. Martie M. Soderberg, (Wash. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

FILED JUNE 28, 2022 In the Office of the Clerk of Court WA State Court of Appeals Division III

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON DIVISION THREE

STATE OF WASHINGTON, ) ) No. 38111-1-III Respondent, ) ) v. ) UNPUBLISHED OPINION ) MARTIE M. SODERBERG also known ) as MARTIE MARIE MAXWELL, ) ) Appellant.

FEARING, J. — This court previously affirmed an attempted murder conviction

against appellant Martie Soderberg. Soderberg had hired a friend to slay her husband

Russell. Soderberg now appeals the sentence imposed for a later arson conviction

resulting from an earlier burning of the home and personal property shared with her

husband. She argues that the superior court should have imposed her sentence for arson

to run concurrently with the earlier sentence for attempted murder. She also contends No. 38111-1-III State v. Soderberg

insufficient evidence supported an aggravator for domestic violence. We disagree with

both arguments and affirm Soderberg’s sentence.

FACTS

In 2013, appellant Martie Soderberg resided in Medical Lake with her husband

and their two children. The Soderberg family rented a trailer.

Over Labor Day weekend, in 2013, the Soderberg family traveled to Yakima for a

family reunion. At around 2:00 a.m. on Monday, September 2, a family friend called

Russell and Martie Soderberg and informed the couple that their trailer was aflame.

When the Soderbergs returned home later that morning, they discovered all of their

personal possessions destroyed.

Medical Lake Fire Department Chief Jason Mayfield observed burn marks around

the trailer’s air conditioning unit. Chief Mayfield concluded that the trailer fire resulted

from an electrical failure. During the arson and theft trial, which occurred in 2021,

Mayfield acknowledged that he lacked experience in investigating fires in 2013.

A renter’s insurance policy covered damage to Martie and Russell Soderberg’s

belongings. Martie filed a claim with the insurance company. At the behest of the

insurer, fire investigator Michael Zambryski examined the Soderberg trailer. Zambryski

opined that the fire had possibly been caused deliberately, but he could not conclude

arson occurred on a probable basis. The Soderbergs recovered $75,000 from their

insurance company in settlement of the claim.

2 No. 38111-1-III State v. Soderberg

In the summer of 2016, Martie Soderberg contacted Dennis Bjerke to kill Russell

Soderberg. State v. Soderberg, No. 36132-2-III, slip op. at 2 (Wash Ct. App. Jan. 28,

2020) (unpublished), https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/361322_ord.pdf.

Soderberg had known Bjerke for fifteen years. State v. Soderberg, No. 36132-2-III, slip

op. at 2. Bjerke rejected Martie’s entreaty to kill Russell. On October 11, 2016,

Soderberg next solicited high school friend, Martin Drake, to slay Russell. State v.

Soderberg, No. 36132-2-III, slip op. at 2.

On October 11, 2016, Martin Drake anonymously contacted law enforcement to

report a potential murder. State v. Soderberg, No. 36132-2-III, slip op. at 2-3. Drake met

with Spokane County Deputy Sheriff Gavin Pratt, to whom Drake divulged Martie

Soderberg’s plan to murder Russell. State v. Soderberg, No. 36132-2-III, slip op. at 3.

On October 12, 2016, while investigating Martie Soderberg for attempted murder,

law enforcement obtained a search warrant authorizing Martin Drake to wear a recording

device and record conversations with Soderberg. During a recorded conversation with

Drake, Soderberg referenced the Medical Lake trailer fire. Soderberg also mentioned

Dennis Bjerke’s involvement in the fire.

Dennis Bjerke testified at the arson trial pursuant to a plea agreement. He averred

that Martie Soderberg and he planned to burn the Soderberg trailer about one week before

Bjerke lit the flame. Soderberg and Bjerke were engaged in an affair. Soderberg offered

Bjerke no money in exchange for his deed. Bjerke did as she requested.

3 No. 38111-1-III State v. Soderberg

After the Soderberg family left Medical Lake on Labor Day weekend 2013,

Dennis Bjerke entered the unlocked trailer and retrieved hairspray and a lighter planted

by Soderberg. Bjerke squirted the hairspray and flipped the lighter to ignite the

Soderbergs’ curtains, bedding, and clothing.

The State of Washington earlier charged Martie Soderberg with attempted murder

in the first degree and solicitation to commit murder in the first degree. State v.

Soderberg, No. 36132-2-III, slip op. at 13 (2020). Following a trial in 2019, the jury

found Martie guilty as charged. State v. Soderberg, No. 36132-2-III, slip op. at 16. The

trial court sentenced her to 180 months’ confinement. State v. Soderberg, No. 36132-2-

III, slip op. at 17. This court affirmed Martie’s convictions on appeal. State v.

Soderberg, No. 36132-2-III, slip op. at 34.

PROCEDURE

On March 15, 2021, the State of Washington also charged Martie Soderberg in a

separate proceeding with arson in the first degree and theft in the first degree. The State

alleged that the arson constituted domestic violence, because Soderberg committed it

against a “family or household member,” Russell Soderberg. Clerk’s Papers at 80.

During her arson trial testimony, Martie Soderberg denied planning to burn her

rental trailer. Soderberg denied providing Dennis Bjerke aerosol hairspray or a lighter for

the purpose of torching her home. She averred that, in 2016, Bjerke informed her that he

had started the trailer fire. She had been unaware of Bjerke’s involvement. Soderberg

4 No. 38111-1-III State v. Soderberg

testified that Bjerke requested she pay him $10,000. According to Soderberg, she did not

report Bjerke’s conduct to law enforcement due to threats from Bjerke.

On March 17, 2021, the jury found Martie Soderberg guilty of arson in the first

degree and theft in the first degree. The jury further found that Soderberg committed

arson against Russell Soderberg, a family or household member.

On March 24, 2021, the trial court sentenced Martie Soderberg to 36 months’

confinement on the first degree arson charge and 3 months’ confinement on the first

degree theft charge. The court ordered that both counts be served concurrently. The

court further ordered that Soderberg’s current sentence run consecutively with her

sentence imposed in the earlier attempted murder case.

LAW AND ANALYSIS

On appeal, Martie Soderberg challenges her sentence and domestic violence

aggravator. She contends the superior court erred when imposing her current sentence

for arson and theft consecutively with the sentence imposed for attempted murder. She

challenges the sufficiency of the evidence for her domestic violence sentencing

aggravator.

Consecutive Sentences

Martie Soderberg argues that the superior court effectively imposed an exceptional

aggravated sentence in the pending prosecution because it ordered her 36-month sentence

for arson to run consecutively to her 180-month sentence for attempted murder and

5 No. 38111-1-III State v. Soderberg

solicitation to commit murder. Soderberg contends that, pursuant to RCW 9.94A.589,

the court exceeded its authority by ordering both sentences to run consecutively, not

concurrently. She further faults the court for not entering findings of fact supporting an

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