July 15, 2017 VIA EMAIL Jim Brunner Lewis Kamb The Seattle Times 1000 Denny Way Seattle, WA 98109 Dear Mr. Brunner and Mr. Kamb: Mayor Ed Murray has stated that Jeff Simpson’s allegations of sexual abuse against him are false. He repeats that Simpson’s statements are false. The District Attorney’s Office in Multnomah County, Oregon was responsible for overseeing law enforcement’s investigation of Simpson’s allegations referred by Oregon’s Child Protective Services in 1984. Having considered the information provided by Oregon’s Child Protective Services and after law enforcement conducted its own investigation, the District Attorney’s Office withdrew the case against Murray. The District Attorney’s Office also withdrew a case against another foster parent who Simpson had accused of abusing him as well. The District Attorney’s Office identified Simpson’s “history of manipulative behavior” as one reason for deciding to withdraw the case against Murray. There was no indictment, no charges filed, and no conviction against Murray. That was the legal conclusion that was reached in that criminal investigation. Nothing has changed that outcome. The Seattle Times, however, seeks to reinvestigate the case, to take the place of law enforcement and the District Attorney’s Office, act as judge and jury without a full vetting and disclosure of the facts that were available to law enforcement in 1984, rewrite history, and mislead the public. The Seattle Times misunderstands the significance of the documents that it obtained recently from Oregon’s Child Protective Services. Oregon’s Child Protective Services is supposed to err on the side of believing a child’s accusations. The agency is not responsible for judging sex abuse cases. It merely investigates Jim Brunner Lewis Kamb July 15, 2017 Page 2 allegations of sex abuse. In contrast, law enforcement is responsible for determining whether or not a crime may have happened. Here, there was no indictment, no charges filed, no conviction, and no crime. There was due process of law. In the end, as Murray has said repeatedly, Simpson’s allegations were and are false. Also important, Oregon’s Child Protective Services never communicated any adverse findings or recommendations about Murray’s ability to be a foster parent to Murray or anyone else to his knowledge. If there had been a communication of that sort to his knowledge, Murray would have vigorously opposed the agency’s findings and recommendations in an agency proceeding and a court of law. In fairness to the public and to Mayor Murray, The Seattle Times ought to publish information in its proper legal context or else not publish it at all. Sincerely, Katherine R. Heekin Katherine R. Heekin