Gun Found At Murder Scene Not Relevant, Sheriff Says

Nez Perce County Sheriff Ron Koeper says his deputies did not report finding a gun at the scene of Ron and Luella Bingham’s murders last May because it was not relevant to the case.

In a prepared statement, Koeper said that the officers decided the gun had not been fired recently and consequently was not involved in the slayings.

The weapon was not taken as evidence, and its existence was not revealed to the prosecutor.

The statement came in response to accusations made Monday by lawyers for convicted killer Ken Arrasmith that Koeper and his deputies deliberately withheld evidence to protect the son of Capt. Scott Whitcomb.

Cliff Whitcomb worked at the east Lewiston auto repair shop where the murders occurred and normally kept guns there, defense attorney Craig Mosman said, and two of Whitcomb’s guns removed from the crime scene were returned to him by his father.