Waiting for justice

By: 
Steve Lyon
After two years of court hearings and mental health evaluations, accused murderer Anthony Montwheeler will be arraigned on Feb. 22 in Malheur Circuit Court in Vale to enter a plea to numerous charges. 
 Among those in the audience will be the family of Annita Harmon, who was allegedly kidnapped by her ex-husband in front of her parents’ home on Haas Road near Weiser and killed two years ago on Jan. 9, 2017.
 It was a day of wanton violence when Montwheeler allegedly murdered Harmon, a mother of two who was moving on with her life after divorcing him.
 Montwheeler also is accused of causing the death of Vale resident David Bates, a husband and father of five children, and severely injuring his wife, in a head-on crash on Oregon Highway 201 while fleeing from police on that fateful day.
 A Malheur County grand jury indicted Montwheeler, 51 of Nampa, on charges of aggravated murder, murder and kidnapping three days after Harmon’s murder on Jan. 12, 2017. 
 He has not pleaded to those charges yet, which can bring the death penalty if convicted.
 During the past two years, Montwheeler has had numerous mental health evaluations. He has spent time in an Oregon state mental facility.  He was initially deemed to be incapable of standing trial on the murder charges. 
 Another evaluation in December of 2018 by an Oregon state hospital reversed the prior findings and set the stage for Montwheeler’s day in court on Feb. 22. 
A judge who reviewed the psychiatric report declared on Jan. 4 of this year that Montwheeler is indeed fit for trial.
 Malheur County Prosecuting Attorney David Goldthorpe said with the determination that Montwheeler can stand trial, the case is proceeding forward with a possible trial date this fall.
 “I fully expect him to enter a not guilty plea,” Goldthorpe said.
 Annita’s older sister, Stacey Harmon-Roeber, said the family, while disappointed in the many delays, believes the prosecution is doing a good job in keeping them informed of developments in the case.
 She said the deference given to the defendant is frustrating. Even if the case goes to trial and Montwheeler is found guilty, he will have limitless appeals. 
 “So we may never see a final answer to this unless he pleads guilty. It means no justice, no consequence. He stalked her,” Harmon-Roeber said.
 Contacted by telephone, Annita’s mother said that the many continuances in the case and the delays have been difficult for the family.
 “I just think it’s a travesty of justice,” Sue Harmon said.
 She doesn’t want her daughter forgotten as time passes without a court outcome. Things were looking up for Annita, a mom in her early 40s.
 She was living in an upstairs apartment at her parents’ home, working, raising two children and looking forward to a life without Montwheeler. 
 She was a trusting person, which got her into trouble with the law while she was married to Montwheeler years earlier. She was later exonerated of the crime in 2016, her mother said.
 Stacey Harmon-Roeber, who lives in the state of Washington, said Annita always looked for the best in people. It led her to give people, including Montwheeler, chances and second chances.
 Annita would call her and tell her about issues she had with Montwheeler and her marriage. 
 He talked her into a fraudulent situation that led to a criminal conviction that was later exonerated. After that episode in 2013, she wanted a divorce.
 “He would sweet talk her and tell her he wouldn’t do it again,” Harmon-Roeber  said. “She was a rescuer. She had such a big heart. She always found a man who needed fixing.”
 A photo of Annita is in the Harmon’s living room. She loved fairies and her two children. She had a bright smile. 
 Sue Harmon said she and Annita’s dad, Bud, have attended all of the court hearings involving Montwheeler over the past two years. 
 They will be in Vale on Feb. 22 and sit just feet from the man who is accused of killing their daughter.
 “I would love to look him in the eye, but he is too much of a coward to do that,” she said.

 

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