Man Names Inmate In 1992 Stabbing Death

A man claiming to be an eyewitness to a June 1992 stabbing in downtown Spokane has come forward, naming a prison inmate as the killer.

Authorities believe 21-year-old Keith B. Studd is responsible for the killing.

Studd is serving an 18-year prison sentence for attempted murder in the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.

Now he’s back in the Spokane County Jail facing a second-degree murder charge. Studd, 21, is expected to be arraigned next week.

He is accused of killing Spokane construction worker David Castle, 30, during a fight outside the Big Dipper tavern at Second and Washington.

Castle’s body was found in a nearby gutter shortly after midnight on June 30, 1992. He died from a stab wound to the chest, police said.

Studd admits to the killing, but says he did so in self-defense, according to detectives.

Deputy Prosecutor Jack Driscoll said there wasn’t enough evidence to charge Studd with murder - until a witness came forward a few weeks ago. The witness claims Studd killed Castle when he was on the ground.

Last summer, Studd was sent to prison for heaving a Molotov cocktail through an open window into a Spokane family’s apartment.

He was recruited by Michelle Wall ingford, 33, who wanted someone to kill her ex-husband. Wallingford is serving a 15-year prison term for murder conspiracy.