New information leads to murder charge in death, Spokane police say

A man  accused in November of assaulting an acquaintance is now accused of killing him.

Michael E. Harmon, 32, told police he fought with Edward Weed, 46, at Weed’s north Spokane home on Oct. 29 and returned several days later to find Weed in the same position and apparently dead.

Dr. John Howard, Spokane County medical examiner, initially told investigators injuries he found that resulted from the assault, which included a fractured nose and cuts on Weed’s forehead and cheek, would not have been enough to kill Weed.

But after further investigation, the Medical Examiner’s Office determined Weed was strangled and ruled his death a homicide in late December.

At a hearing Tuesday, Harmon pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder.

Weed’s mother, Barbara, found her son’s body Nov. 6 at his home at 5418 N. Ash St. after several of her phone calls went unreturned.

“I said, ‘Something’s wrong’ because Eddie always calls me back,” she said in an interview after Tuesday’s hearing. When she arrived at his house, she found the place in disarray. The bedroom was trashed, she said, and many of her son’s things were missing.

After finding her son’s body, Barbara Weed found his dog Tasha locked in his bathroom. The dog had been stabbed in the face, Weed said, though the dog has since recovered and is living with her.

Police arrested Harmon on Nov. 8 on suspicion of robbery, assault and burglary after a neighbor said a man who had been hanging around Weed’s house offered to rake her leaves. Barbara Weed said she was able to identify Harmon, who was an associate of her son’s, based on the description.

According to court documents, Harmon told police he backhanded or punched Weed in the face several times during their Oct. 29 fight, apparently rendering him unconscious. Weed fell onto a couch in his house, and Harmon took several items from the residence, including Weed’s phone and packs of cigarettes.

But a confidential informant told police Harmon admitted to choking Weed with his hands and banging his head on the ground, causing Weed to have a seizure before he stopped breathing, according to court documents.

Harmon has seven previous misdemeanor domestic violence convictions for assault and violating protection and no-contact orders. He pleaded guilty to a felony domestic violence charge in September 2012.

If a jury finds Harmon not guilty of first-degree murder, he could still be found guilty of second-degree murder.

Barbara Weed said she wasn’t sure where her son met Harmon, but suspected the two may have spent time in jail together when Weed was serving time for driving while intoxicated. She said Harmon began hanging around her son in about 2008, but Weed quickly stopped associating with him after Harmon stole from him.

Though Weed struggled with alcohol in the past, his mother said, he was a loving man who took pride in fixing up the yards and gardens in the houses he lived in. He volunteered to rake his neighbor’s leaves and loved 6-year-old Tasha, a golden retriever-greyhound mix who he referred to as his daughter.

“She was his pride and joy,” Barbara Weed said.