Cops leaked information to murder suspect, prosecutors say

Spokane County prosecutors suspect members of law enforcement in the Tri-Cities have leaked information to their former co-worker accused of killing a woman in Spokane in 1986.

Murder suspect and former Pasco police officer Richard Aguirre had posted a $500,000 bond on his murder charge in the cold case and was on his way out the door of the Spokane County Jail on Thursday night when Spokane police investigators hurriedly filed a new voyeurism charge against him.

“He was actually in his street clothes when a handwritten order was delivered,” said Aguirre’s attorney, Scott Johnson.

Aguirre appeared Friday in Spokane County District Court on the new charge, and deputy prosecuting attorney Kyle Treece asked for an additional $500,000 bond on the new charge. He also asked the judge to bar Aguirre from contacting his former co-workers. The judge granted his request.

“We have reason to believe that members of the Pasco Police Department and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office have leaked information to Mr. Aguirre,” he said.

The investigation into the thousands of pictures and videos recovered from Aguirre’s cellphones is continuing, Treece said. “There have been a number of victims that continue to come forward,” he said.

Johnson argued against the new bond.

“I don’t understand how additional bail would be warranted,” he said.

Aguirre’s total bond is now $1 million. He is accused of killing Ruby Doss on Jan. 30, 1986, while he was stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base. Police say his DNA was found at the scene of the crime.

Aguirre was a Pasco police officer for 27 years before he resigned in April. He had been on paid administrative leave since November after he was charged with third-degree rape in Franklin County.

Police seized two phones that belonged to Aguirre. One contained 76,060 pictures and 315 videos. The other had 4,532 pictures and 48 videos. Most were sexually explicit, showing sex acts with men and women, according to court documents.

Police also found evidence in Aguirre’s home that indicates he was using steroids, court records say.

Many of those depicted in the videos appeared to be experiencing “pain and fear” and many did not appear aware that they were being recorded, court documents say. In one video a man knows he is being recorded but is heard saying repeatedly that he does not want to be recorded. The man appears to be fearful, according to court documents.

The voyeurism charge stems from an incident at the Mirabeau Park Hotel in Spokane Valley in February. Multiple pictures and videos from the encounter were discovered on Aguirre’s cellphones. The man was identified because Aguirre took a picture of his identification, court records say.

The victim told police he was unaware the videos had been recorded and was “distraught” that he had been identified, according to court documents. He told police he agreed to pose for several photos wearing high heels and lingerie but did not agree to be filmed during sex.

He said the sex was consensual and that he and Aguirre had connected through a Craigslist ad, according to court documents. Hotel records indicate Aguirre was renting a room at the hotel the night the recording was made.

Johnson said he will argue that any recordings of sexual acts were made with the permission of those depicted, and he disputes the victim’s statement that he was unaware he was being recorded.

“That’s what he’s saying now,” Johnson said of the victim. “It’s our contention that that’s not what was said at the time.”

Johnson also said he was “taken aback” by the allegations that Aguirre’s former co-workers have been slipping him information. “I’d be interested to know what evidence they have of that,” he said.

Prosecutor Larry Haskell said he could not release more information about the alleged leaks because it is still under investigation.

“Exactly what he said is what the investigation is showing us,” Haskell said of Treece’s statement in court. “I can’t jeopardize that.”

Representatives of the Pasco Police Department and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said they had no knowledge of the allegations.

“Nobody from Spokane has expressed concern to us,” said Pasco police Capt. Ken Roske. “I don’t know what we would have to release. It’s not our jurisdiction.”

“If we get specifics, we’ll be glad to look into it,” said Franklin County Undersheriff Dan McCary.

Haskell said the leaks could lead to criminal charges.

“If this information is substantiated, based on further investigation, of course that is a potential,” he said.