By Gary Fletcher

The (La Grande) Observer

ENTERPRISE Bend airline pilot Christopher Northon, who was fatally shot by his wife in a Wallowa County campground, had a high amount of sedative in his blood but no alcohol, experts testified Wednesday.

Dr. Robert Alan Middleberg, a forensic toxicologist from the National Medical Service Association in New Jersey, testified in the third day of the Northon murder trial. Liysa King-Northon, 39, of Bend is charged with killing her husband while he slept in a Lostine River Canyon campground Oct. 9. She contends her husband had a history of abusing her, and she shot him in self defense after he attacked her.

Blood tests indicated that Northon had not smoked marijuana within five days of his death, Middleberg said. He said amounts of substances found are categorized as ”a little, some, a lot, or a hell of a lot.”

”A lot to a hell of a lot” of Restoril, a Valium-family sedative was found in Northon’s blood, Middleberg said. It was likely equivalent to having taken three to five 30 milligram capsules all at once, Middleberg said.

The sedative induces lethargy and sleep, within 30 to 60 minutes, Middleberg said.

The level of the drug in Northon could have caused a coma or death, Middleberg said. Northon died from a single bullet wound through his head, a pathologist said Tuesday. Northon, a Hawaiian Airlines pilot, was shot as he lay sleeping in his fully-zipped sleeping bag.

During cross-examination, Middleberg stopped short of agreeing that the victim could have had a ”rage reaction.” Less than 0.5 percent of people on the drug ”sense anger” and have their prescription changed, Middleberg said.

He has heard no reports of violence.

There was no alcohol in Northon’s blood, said J. Robert Swanson, a toxicologist for the Oregon State Medical Examiner. King-Northon told others her husband had been drinking on the camping trip.

Police did not find drugs or prescription bottles at the death scene. A couple of partially empty liquor bottles were there, Oregon State Police Forensic Lab Supervisor Jeff Dovei said Tuesday.

Dick Northon, Christopher Northon’s father, testified he and his son were very close. The father said that he never knew of his son taking sleeping pills or using marijuana.

King-Northon’s defense attorney Pat Birmingham suggested in his opening statement that evidence was mishandled in the case, and Dick Northon testified he found a blue tarp and a blue sleeping pad, each with a hole in it, when he unloaded his son’s Chevrolet Suburban in Bend after it was released by authorities. There appeared to be dried blood on the pad, he said.

Dick Northon locked the two items in his garage.

When he attended a court hearing in Enterprise in May, he gave them to District Attorney Dan Ousley.

Former Sheriff Ron Jett said he then had the pad and tarp logged as evidence. Reading from his handwriting on an evidence tag on a bag containing the pad and tarp, it said ”…the chain of evidence has been lost.” The chain of evidence refers to the strict handling of evidence from a crime scene. Investigators must document the collection of evidence to ensure it’s not tainted.

Jett initially received the call about the possible homicide. He sent former Undersheriff Rich Stein to investigate.

Stein on Tuesday said he was busy running for sheriff, and he turned the case over to Deputy Matt Cross.

Shortly after the Nov. 11 election, Jett retired, Stein lost the election and retired, and Cross resigned.