Costello accused of son's murder

SANDPOINT — A Cocolalla man accused of shooting his son to death last November appeared in Bonner County Magistrate Court to face a charge of first-degree murder.

Judge Tera Harden ordered James Michael Costello Sr. held in lieu of $1 million bail and appointed a public defender to represent him.

A criminal complaint alleges the senior Costello killed James Michael Costello Jr. with a handgun and that the killing was premeditated.

Harden asked the Costello if he understood the charge against him.

“Yeah. I disagree. But I understand, I guess,” said Costello, who appeared in court via videoconferencing with the Bonner County Jail.

Clad in a orange- and white-striped jumpsuit, Costello was in handcuffs and seated in a wheelchair during the brief hearing. Harden asked if he understood his rights and Costello said he was afraid he would forget what those rights were.

“My brain is not working properly,” Costello said.

Costello, who described himself as unemployed and homeless, was also unsure whether he possessed enough personal assets to retain private counsel or would need the appointment of a public defender.

“I don’t know for certain, at this point, what I have or don’t have,” said Costello.

Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Roger Hanlon asked the court to sustain Costello’s $1 million bail, which the court obliged. A preliminary hearing, in which a judge determines if the preponderance of evidence is sufficient to justify a trial in 1st District Court, is set for March 13.

Costello, 71, became the subject of a filicide investigation after he allegedly made cryptic remarks to Idaho State Police during a drunken driving investigation in Kootenai County on Nov 11, 2018. Those remarks are not disclosed in court documents, although they triggered a welfare check at an address in Cocolalla where James Michael Costello Jr. was found dead, according to Bonner County sheriff’s officials.

The Costellos were living in a municipal bus that was converted into living quarters that was parked off Pineview Lane, which is located on the west side of Cocolalla Lake.

The elder Costello has been jailed on felony eluding and misdemeanor driving under the influence charges since his son’s body was discovered.

He pleaded not guilty to the Kootenai County charges and was ordered to be transported to Bonner County last month, court records indicate.

Although Costello’s video arraignment in Bonner County case should have triggered the unsealing of the case, documents remained hidden from public view at the close of the business day on Monday. The fact that Costello was to appear in court on Monday was also kept from public view as his case was not listed on the court’s docket.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.