Suspect in fatal stabbing of Manito Tap House employee claims self defense

More than a month after a 28-year-old man was stabbed to death in northwest Spokane, police still are seeking evidence to charge the suspect, who claims he acted in self-defense.

A search warrant application filed Monday in Spokane County Superior Court sheds new light on the death of Corey A. Ward, who appears to have been fatally wounded during a fight outside his apartment at 2404 W. Cleveland Ave.

A Spokane area native who loved sports and the outdoors, Ward was remembered by his mother and girlfriend as a compassionate man not prone to violence. After a period of drug addiction, he had found steady work at several local restaurants, most recently the Manito Tap House on the South Hill, where he was a line cook.

“He was sober three years and so proud to be where he was,” said his mother, Lisa Ward.

The court records indicate a next-door neighbor called 911 at 11:38 p.m. on May 17 to report that Ward was bleeding out on a patch of grass outside the apartment building.

“I can remember his exact words,” the neighbor told police, according to the records. “He said, ‘I was fighting with this guy and I was beating his ass and he stabbed me in the heart.’”

Two people driving along Northwest Boulevard also pulled over when they spotted Ward lying in the grass. By the time officers and paramedics arrived at 11:45 p.m., he was “unresponsive and bleeding badly,” records state. There were lacerations on his jaw, chest, left arm and back. He was wearing only shorts and tennis shoes. He was pronounced dead at 12:08 a.m.

Officers followed a trail of blood one block north of the apartment building, to the intersection of North Nettleton Street and West Fairview Avenue, where they found a pool of blood, a sheath for a knife and a smartphone, records state. They believe that’s where the fight occurred.

Officers, along with a police dog, then followed a second trail of blood north from the intersection, hoping to find whoever had stabbed Ward, records state.

Then came a second 911 call. The caller said she had driven Logan L. Clegg to Holy Family Hospital after he showed up to work with a facial injury and a bleeding hand. Clegg, 22, had been scheduled to begin his shift at midnight at the Shadle Center McDonald’s, more than a mile north of the crime scene.

Officers responded to the hospital, and Clegg, who appears to have no criminal record in Washington, agreed to speak with a detective. He said he had been walking to work from his home downtown, and when he turned onto Nettleton Street from Northwest Boulevard, someone shouted at him from an open window in the apartment building.

Clegg told the detective he shouted something in response and continued walking, then heard the man, later identified as Ward, running up behind him. According to Clegg, Ward indicated he wanted to fight and said, “I’m here. Let’s go.”

Clegg said he pulled a knife from his front pants pocket because he feared Ward, a much larger man, would assault him, records state. Clegg was 5-foot-9 and 145 pounds, while Ward’s driver’s license listed him as 6 feet tall and 230 pounds.

Then Ward began throwing punches and knocked Clegg to the ground, Clegg told the detective. With Ward on top of him, Clegg said he began stabbing Ward’s chest and stomach. Ward eventually stood up and began walking toward the apartments, and Clegg said he didn’t think Ward was seriously injured.

Clegg said he could not call anyone because he no longer had his cellphone – the one police had found at the scene. Despite his own injuries, he said he decided to continue walking to McDonald’s.

Clegg insisted he had never met Ward, and he signed a consent form and gave his password so the detective could search the phone for evidence of communication between the two men.

Witnesses also reported that, as Ward lay dying, he stated he did not know who had stabbed him. And Ward’s mother and girlfriend, Tia Sijer, both told The Spokesman-Review that Ward and Clegg were strangers.

The search warrant granted Monday gave police permission to copy the contents of Clegg’s phone so it could be returned to him. Police also received permission to copy the contents of Ward’s phone and laptop.

Neighbors referenced in the warrant application did not see the fight, but one reported she had heard shouts of “Hey, come here,” “Just let me go” and “Help me” around the time of the incident.

A detective also searched Ward’s apartment and found the east-facing window open, just as Clegg described it. The detective noted the inside smelled of burning marijuana.

Attempts to contact Clegg on Monday were unsuccessful. An assistant manager at the McDonald’s declined to say if he still works there.

Lisa Ward and Sijer said they believe the confrontation began while Ward was still inside his apartment. They said Ward had twice had his car stolen from the location and may have been seeking to protect his vehicle.

“We both know that Corey would never have left his apartment when he had been asleep for no reason,” Lisa Ward said. “He would not have gotten out of bed to beat someone up for no reason. He was not a violent person.”

“I don’t think he meant to kill Corey. I don’t,” she said of Clegg. “I think it was a misunderstanding that had fatal consequences. But either way, Corey died and Logan should be held accountable for his actions.”