David Lewis Rice

Case identification

David Lewis Rice (born 1958) was charged in connection with the fatal stabbing and bludgeoning of civil rights attorney Charles Goldmark, Charles Goldmark’s wife Annie Goldmark, and their two sons, Derek and Colin.

Background

David Lewis Rice was a follower of the Christian Identity movement. He sometimes displayed psychotic symptoms during the trial process, and his attorney did not emphasize them. Rice joined an extremist group in Washington called the Duck Club. Although the Duck Club was almost defunct, the Seattle chapter still functioned. The group convinced Rice that Charles Goldmark was Jewish and a Communist. Rice erroneously believed the family was Jewish and Communist and saw the crime as part of a broader religious war between American Christianity and Soviet atheism. Charles Goldmark was a Seattle civil rights attorney. Goldmark and his family had been active in progressive politics in Washington for years. Goldmark’s parents, John and Sally Goldmark, won a highly publicized libel suit in 1964 to refute accusations of past membership in the Communist Party.

The offence

Rice forced his way into the Seattle home of Charles Goldmark on Christmas Eve in 1985. Rice entered the Goldmark home with a toy pistol and stabbed Goldmark, his wife Annie Goldmark, and their two children to death. Rice handcuffed Charles Goldmark, his wife Annie Goldmark, 12-year-old Derek Goldmark, and 10-year-old Colin Goldmark before attacking all four with a knife. Annie Goldmark and Colin Goldmark died. Charles Goldmark died at the hospital. Derek Goldmark lingered for 37 days before succumbing. Rice said he attacked the Goldmark family on Dec. 24 because he saw himself as an anti-Communist soldier and them as Communists. He repudiated earlier accounts that he thought the family were Jews. When confessing to the crimes, Rice called Goldmark the “top Jew” and “top Communist” in the state.

Investigation

After arrest, Rice was quickly apprehended. He used Goldmark’s credit card and left written confessions in public places. A prosecutor asserted an alternative initial target during the trial, stating that Rice told the jury he had sought out Mr. Goldmark only because he was confused by the street grids in the suburb of Bellevue, the home of James R. Ellis, 64. Mr. Ellis said he was told by Seattle detectives on Dec. 28 that he might be in danger because detectives had found his name, address, and information about bus routes to his home among Rice’s belongings after arresting Rice in the Goldmark case. Mr. Ellis said that in right-wing Republican circles, he and his projects had been described as left-wing, and he said, “It’s all strange, but in the Duck Club world, they just jump to conclusions.” During interviews while awaiting trial, Rice said he attended sessions of the Seattle chapter of the group, where he heard of the Goldmark family. A book about the libel case written by William Dwyer was discussed at conservative meetings attended by Rice, according to the prosecutor.

Arrest

Rice was arrested after using Goldmark’s credit card and after leaving written confessions in public places.

Trial

The trial occurred in King County Superior Court. Rice was charged with four counts of aggravated first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing and bludgeoning of Charles Goldmark, 41; Annie Goldmark, 43; and their sons Derek, 12, and Colin, 10. Rice pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Anthony Savage, a defense lawyer, told the jury, “It’s tragic what my client did.” Savage blamed mental illness, exacerbated by the influence of right-wing associations, and said, “The extreme right did not cause his illness, but his mental illness provided fertile ground for their philosophy.” Savage said of Rice, “He went to the Goldmark house as a soldier of America,” and “He believed in the Communist conspiracy aided by the international bankers and the Federal Reserve Board.” The prosecutor, William Downing, told the jury that David Lewis Rice, 27 years old, said in a confession that he sought out Mr. Goldmark only because he was confused by the street grids in the suburb of Bellevue, home of James R. Ellis, 64. Downing said, “Goldmark was a prominent figure in the local Communist party,” and added, “His belief was as wrong as wrong could be, but it provided him with a basis to justify his actions.” Downing also said, “In the circles in which the defendant moved, there had been under discussion of John Goldmark’s activities without any great attention being given to the accuracy of the false allegations.” The prosecutor asserted that the decision to seek death would be reached in a separate hearing before the same jurors if convicted. Mr. Goldmark was described as a graduate of Yale Law School and as a delegate committed to Gary Hart at the 1984 Democratic convention and an advancing member of the inner group of liberal Democrats. It was stated that the Washington State Senate adopted a resolution in his memory after his death.

Sentencing

Rice was convicted in 1986 of aggravated murder for the four deaths. He was sentenced to death. The death sentence was later overturned on the grounds of an incompetent defense. Rice agreed to plead guilty in May 1998 in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. On May 26, 1998, Rice was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.

Appeals

Rice’s conviction was overturned on the grounds of an incompetent defense. The ineffective defense was attributed to attorney Bill Lanning, who allowed the police unlimited access to his client and did not introduce evidence of Rice’s psychotic state.

Outcome

Rice remained alive in prison serving out a life sentence. The Goldmark Murders were characterized as a notable anti-Semitic hate crime, even though the victims were not actually Jewish. The Goldmark Murders remained associated with capital punishment proponents because Rice avoided death based only on the ineptness of his attorney’s work at trial.

Other details

Rice went to the Goldmark home and handcuffed Charles, Annie, 12-year-old Derek, and 10-year-old Colin. Rice used a toy pistol to enter the home and attacked all four with a knife. It was stated that Rice confessed and would be sentenced to death, and that his conviction would be overturned in 1997 with sentencing to life imprisonment. Rice’s trial process included a sticking point about psychotic symptoms that he sometimes displayed and that his attorney did not emphasize.