Wickenhagen Could Face Death Suspect Accused Of Choking Niece Before Bludgeoning Her To Death

Jason Wickenhagen, the Spokane carwash attendant accused of bludgeoning his 9-year-old niece to death, moved within range of a possible death sentence Thursday.

Prosecutors charged him with aggravated first-degree murder, saying he choked Rachel Carver in their North Ash home and then crushed her head with a hammer to finish the job.

“He assaulted her first, then he killed her,” said Deputy Prosecutor Pat Thompson.

The aggravating circumstance alleged in the case - that Wickenhagen killed her to conceal the earlier assault - means he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted.

The only other sentencing option for a jury would be death.

Wickenhagen, 23, is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 10 on the murder charge. He had been arrested in connection with the crime, but not formally charged until Thursday.

After that, Spokane County Prosecutor Jim Sweetser has 30 days to decide whether to seek the death penalty.

Thompson, who filed the murder charge, said no decision has been made. She declined further comment.

Assistant Public Defender Jim Sheehan said the charge comes as no surprise, particularly given public outrage over the child’s murder.

“At least we know now what he’s charged with - so that takes away some anxiety and apprehension,” the defense attorney said.

Sheehan said he expects his client to plead not guilty next month, despite police reports detailing Wickenhagen’s repeated confessions.

After initially denying responsibility for Rachel’s death and failing a lie-detector test, Wickenhagen twice told detectives he killed her and dumped the body at Riverside State Park, according to court documents.

In a subsequent July 6 statement to police, Wickenhagen allegedly provided more details, saying he choked her and then moved her to the garage.

Wickenhagen considered taking her to the hospital before grabbing a hammer and striking a fatal blow to the back of her head, detectives said.

Until then, Rachel was still alive, according to forensic pathologist Dr. George Lindholm, who conducted the autopsy.

When Rachel, a freckled third-grader, failed to show up for the last day of school June 14, hundreds of residents joined police in a citywide search.

Her body was found the next day in a cardboard box hidden in bushes along Aubrey L. White Parkway.

The box, police quickly discovered, was used to help Jason and Rene Wickenhagen move into their North Side home. The couple, now in the midst of a divorce, had been caring for their niece since last fall.

Thompson said there is no evidence that Jason Wickenhagen sexually assaulted the girl before she was killed.

If the death penalty is sought, it would be the first time Spokane County has had two capital cases awaiting trial at the same time.

Drug dealer Joseph Andrews is charged with two counts of aggravated murder in the double-slaying of a man and his girlfriend in Browne’s Addition.

Wickenhagen is being held without bail in the Spokane County Jail. He has prior adult convictions for two burglaries and a theft.

He was sentenced earlier this year to nearly six years in prison for an unrelated rape attempt at gunpoint.

, DataTimes