Murder Suspect Had Amassed Arsenal February Traffic Stop Uncovered Variety Of Weapons, But Rochek Never Faced Charges
Police figured Alan Rochek was up to no good when they found a commando-style arsenal on him during a routine traffic stop in February.
Sure enough, they say, Rochek and Jacqueline Bence murdered a man at Eloika Lake a little more than a month after the unnerving traffic stop.
Rochek, 28, and Bence, 21, are charged with aggravated first-degree murder in the torture execution of Richard P. Morley, 30. Authorities say Rochek and Bence stabbed, slashed, strangled and hammered Morley to death for failure to pay a debt.
Rochek might have been in jail at the time of the murder if judges and prosecutors had acted on the instincts of Washington State Patrol officers.
“You would think they were probably up to no good,” Sgt. Chris Powell said after Trooper Greg McNeilly found numerous guns and crack cocaine when he stopped a speeding car on Interstate 90 in which Rochek was a passenger.
Rochek had two .45-caliber handguns, including one with a laser sight, and a hunting knife strapped to his body. Troopers said he also had a chunk of crack cocaine in his pocket, which invalidated his concealed weapons permit.
Elsewhere in the vehicle, troopers found a MAK-11 9mm machine pistol, a large knife taped to the driver’s door and a variety of ammunition. Rochek and the driver, Stacy Carson, 25, offered no explanation for the arsenal. Carson, who robbed a South Hill 7-Eleven store in 1992, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Rochek was booked into jail on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance, but a judge released him later that day without bail. The charge subsequently was dropped when the Spokane County prosecutor’s office failed to file court documents.
Public records show the same thing happened on April 5 when police arrested Rochek at 3416 N. Market for alleged possession of cocaine and methamphetamine. Rochek was released on his own recognizance at 6 p.m. on the same day even though he was also wanted on a warrant for failure to appear in court on a drug paraphernalia charge.
Court documents say Rochek and Bence are believed to have murdered Morley between April 5 and 8.
The defendants didn’t bother to ask for bail Tuesday in separate hearings before Pend Oreille County District Court Judge Chuck Baechler. However, they reserved the right to seek bail when they are arraigned on June 15.
Both Bence and Rochek appeared cool and indifferent in their brief court appearances even though they face the possibility of being hanged. Deputy Prosecutor Tony Koures said no decision has been made yet on whether to seek the death penalty.
The victim’s brother, Greg Morley, 45, came from Lancaster, Calif., to attend Tuesday’s bail hearing. He said he fears Rochek will flee if allowed to post bail.
Morley said his brother was a methamphetamine addict who “ran amok” with petty crimes in the year before his death. But, he said, “Rick was always a good kid. He never had any violence in him.”
Court documents say Bence and Rochek killed the younger Morley for failing to give Rochek a “boom box” stereo and a set of wheels and tires for Rochek’s assistance in a check-forgery scheme. Bence is alleged to have committed much of the violence against Morley when they took him from Spokane to Eloika Lake in southern Pend Oreille County.
Investigators have found no criminal record for Rochek. But Bence has a long record, mostly as a juvenile, including assault, unlawful imprisonment and theft.
, DataTimes