WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A pair of murder trials are getting underway in Whatcom County.

The jury trial for 36-year-old Alexander Vanags began last week on Jan. 13.

Vanags is charged with second-degree murder after police say he killed his friend, Mark Stebakov, while they were camping near Baker Lake in April 2019.

KGMI previously reported that Vanags, who is from Arlington, called authorities to report the killing, claiming that he fought back in self-defense after Stebakov attacked him.

This will be the third time Vanags has stood trial after two previous attempts ended in mistrials, with the jury deadlocked in both instances.

Meanwhile, the trial for 67-year-old Lynda Mercy of Bellingham began on Thursday, Jan. 22.

She’s charged with second-degree murder in the April 2021 killing of Thomas Flood, a transient man from Langley, WA. KGMI previously reported that Flood’s body was discovered with two gunshot wounds in Blaine’s Semiahmoo Park.

The ensuing investigation linked Mercy to the killing through surveillance video, tips from witnesses, bullets, blood and other evidence. Acquaintances and social media posts indicated that Mercy had a recent change in mental state and an increasing fascination with violence prior to Flood’s death.

Her trial is expected to last roughly four weeks.