Fringe Candidate A Murder Suspect Gary Crider, Who Ran For Idaho Governor, Top Suspect In Spokane Woman’s Death

A North Idaho man was the target of police raids in Washington and Idaho Wednesday and is considered a prime suspect in the recent murder of a Spokane woman.

Gary Crider, 40 - a fringe candidate for Idaho governor in 1994 - was arrested at the Spokane County Jail while visiting a friend. He was wanted on 15 warrants, which included crimes of theft, burglary and fraudulent use of checks and stolen credit cards.

Authorities also confirmed that Crider, who was being held in the Spokane County Jail on $100,000 bond, is a suspect in the murder of Danielle Jean Shinaver, although he has not been charged in that crime.

The 25-year-old woman, who worked at the McDonald’s in downtown Spokane, was killed in her South Hill apartment on March 14.

Shinaver died of head injuries, an autopsy found.

Crider had known Shinaver for several years.

He was arrested for assault and arson in 1995 for attacking her and setting fire to a vehicle that she had been riding in, according to police reports.

Shinaver was prepared to testify against Crider in the case, according to court documents, but he avoided a trial by pleading guilty in early 1995 to the arson charge.

He was on community supervision for that crime until April 25 of this year, the documents state.

Crider’s wife, 48-year-old Sue Ann, also was arrested Wednesday morning at her Spokane apartment. She was being held late Wednesday in the Spokane County Jail on 10 warrants that included charges of first-degree theft and unauthorized use of checks.

Several plain-clothed Spokane city police officers began searching apartment No. 20 at the Villa 90 Apartments, 1813 N. Hutchinson, about 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Detective Ben Estes said officers searched the apartment for stolen property, but declined to comment on what they found.

By early afternoon, several officers emerged from the ground-floor apartment carrying bulky paper sacks labeled with white stickers.

A vacuum cleaner and a box also were seized.

Minutes later, a female officer led Sue Ann Crider away in handcuffs while neighbors watched.

But police remained tight-lipped about what they found and apartment managers hurried reporters out of the complex.

Late Wednesday, a Spokane County sheriff’s deputy stood guard outside the apartment.

In Idaho, a Bonner County tactical team and state agents raided Gary Crider’s remote cabin near Clagstone, Idaho, about 30 miles southwest of Sandpoint.

The armed team was used because they feared Crider had booby-trapped his home or would barricade himself inside and start a gun battle. In 1991, Crider holed up inside his wife’s Spokane home for several hours after a drinking binge. He finally surrendered to a SWAT team and hostage negotiator.

Crider was not at his secluded cabin on Where’s It At Road when authorities arrived Wednesday morning. But he had signs posted on the five-acre parcel that showed his distaste for law enforcement.

One sign, spray-painted in large red letters and nailed to a post, read: “All uninvited FBI, ATF or Police will be shot if caught beyond this point. You’ve been warned.”

Another at the end of his muddy road said: “Never mind the dogs, Beware of owner.”

The cabin still was being searched late Wednesday, but authorities expected to find stolen property and survival gear the Criders allegedly purchased with fraudulent checks.

Crider ran for Idaho governor in 1994 as an independent. His name was stripped from the ballot before the election because he failed to get enough valid signatures.

Crider campaigned to abolish property taxes and legalize gambling and prostitution in Idaho.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color photos Map of Clagstone area (Idaho edition only)

MEMO: IDAHO HEADLINE: Fringe candidate suspect in women’s murder

The following fields overflowed: BYLINE = Kevin Keating and Brian Coddington Staff writers Staff writer Adam Lynn contributed to this report.