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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Man found dead in Missoula identified; driver is from Spokane

A Spokane resident has been arrested in connection to the murder of Jake Colvin, a 25-year-old man from Valley, Washington, whose body was found Sunday afternoon in an SUV parked outside a hospital in Missoula, Montana. Leo A. Rodriguez, 34, drove from Spokane to Missoula with Colvin’s body in a white Chevy Suburban, according to the Missoula Police Department. Officers responded around 12:20 p.m. Sunday to find the vehicle – facing the wrong direction, with lights on and keys in the ignition – in the parking lot of St. Patrick Hospital. Colvin’s body was in the passenger seat, and rigor mortis had set in, according to court documents reported by the Missoulian. Police later found Rodriguez at a sink in a nearby restroom, looking nervous and with dilated pupils, the Missoulian reported. Water covered the counter and had splashed on the floor. Though he had no weapons on him, a 380 Hi-Point handgun was found underneath a plastic garbage bag in the restroom. Rodriguez was arrested that day on suspicion of tampering with evidence; he also had a warrant out of California. Rodriguez told police Colvin was shot in Spokane before he brought him to Missoula. Investigators are trying to ascertain when, where and why Colvin was shot, and whether drugs were a factor. It’s unclear if they suspect Rodriguez of pulling the trigger. Rodriguez is being held in the Missoula County Jail on a $100,000 bond. He has at least three previous felony convictions and has been arrested at least eight times since a robbery in 1997 in Fresno, California, according to court documents. In April 2014, he attempted to outrun a marked police car in Spokane after an officer saw his car swerving in and out of a lane. In June of that year, he allegedly punched another inmate in the Spokane County Jail “for no reason,” court documents say. Other charges against him include stalking, hit and run, and illegally possessing a gun. The last time he was arrested in Spokane in 2014, he claimed to have been using heroin and methamphetamine. Colvin had been scheduled to appear in Spokane County Superior Court on Monday for a residential burglary charge stemming from an incident earlier this month. He does not appear to have any felony convictions in Washington. Autopsy results from the Missoula County Medical Examiner’s Office are expected Wednesday. Missoula police have asked that anyone with information about Colvin’s death call Detective Mitch Lang at 406-552-6292 or give anonymous tips at 406-721-4444. The Spokane Police Department is assisting in the investigation.