Kenneth Arrasmith took the stand in his double-murder trial Friday, testifying that he was sickened to learn that his teenage daughter was being sexually abused by the couple he's accused of killing.
"I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy," Arrasmith said under questioning by defense lawyers. "To have your own child violated by these two animals. There is no way to say how I feel."It's a nightmare. But you wake up from nightmares. I haven't woken up yet."
Arrasmith said he should have thought twice when he learned his daughter Cynthia, now 16, had moved with her boyfriend last February into a trailer next to the Clarkston, Wash., home of Ronald and Luella Bingham.
Arrasmith said he hadn't recalled the Binghams' past brushes with the law and didn't try to interfere with his daughter's new living arrangements.
The Binghams were charged with raping their 13-year-old niece in 1978, but the charges were dropped. Arrasmith, then working as an Asotin County, Wash., sheriff's deputy, stood guard over the couple while their home was searched.
In 1986, the Binghams were charged in the rape of their 16-year-old baby-sitter. In a plea agreement, Ronald Bingham pleaded guilty to second-degree rape and the charge against Luella Bingham was dismissed.
"I hand-fed my daughter to a predator," Arrasmith told jurors in the eighth day of the 2nd District Court trial.
Authorities investigated the Binghams' alleged abuse of Cynthia Arrasmith, but no arrests were made.
Arrasmith is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and could face the death penalty if convicted.
The 44-year-old former Sunnyside, Wash., truck driver has not admitted killing the couple. The Binghams were shot multiple times at their east Lewiston auto repair shop on May 17.
When asked if he intended to kill the Binghams that day, Arrasmith replied, "Never."
In the defense's opening statement Thursday, lawyer Roy Mosman said Arrasmith armed himself with two guns only to intimidate the Binghams into making a confession about the alleged abuse of his daughter.
When Arrasmith arrived at the auto shop, Ronald Bingham "made a quick motion, as if to grab for something, and Ken thought it was a weapon," Mosman said. The lawyer stopped short of saying his client shot the Binghams.
Authorities say Ronald Bingham was shot more than 20 times with a Tec-9 minimachine gun. Another gun, a 9 mm Ruger with a laser sight, was used to kill Luella Bingham. She was shot six times in the back as she tried to run away.
Arrasmith was scheduled to return to the witness stand when the trial resumes Monday. He is expected to testify about the days leading up to the Binghams' slayings.