Pair charged in man’s death
David T. Buchanan is dead because his girlfriend wanted her cars back, prosecutors allege.
Now she and a friend are charged with his death. They’re scheduled to be arraigned this morning on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree conspiracy to commit murder and witness tampering.
The 64-year-old Stevens County man had been working on the cars belonging to Desiree Nielsen, 48. And when he refused to return the repaired vehicles she grew angry, according to court documents filed Friday in Stevens County Superior Court.
That’s when Nicolas Scearcy, 25, decided to help, the documents state. Earlier this month, he grabbed a .22-caliber rifle and the two headed over to Buchanan’s home on Marble Valley Basin Road.
Buchanan was working on a car with another man when the duo showed up, the documents state.
The friend ran when Scearcy pointed his rifle at him, the documents state. Then Scearcy allegedly fired four bullets at Buchanan, later bragging he’d shot him in the neck. Another bullet hit Buchanan in the head.
Nielsen and Scearcy convinced the witness to come back, and he saw Buchanan lying in the driveway, the documents allege. They told him to “keep his mouth shut.”
A neighbor later found the body and called authorities, on Aug. 5.
Witnesses told investigators they later heard Nielsen thank Scearcy for “taking care of the problem.”
At Scearcy’s home, authorities found a semiautomatic .22 and “a pair of shoes with a distinctive print that was similar to footprints observed at the crime scene,” according to the documents. A .22 shell casing was found on the floorboard of Scearcy’s Chevrolet Blazer.
Spokane
Homicide ruled out in man’s death
A man whose burned body was found Friday by a Riverside State Park ranger has been identified as 28-year-old Joshua A. Mistretta.
An autopsy Monday morning concluded that Mistretta was not the victim of homicide. The cause of death is not yet known, said Officer Glenn Bartlett.
Mistretta’s body was found when the ranger responded to a grass fire in the park.
Police identify car crash victim
A 65-year-old woman killed Friday evening when she was hit by a vehicle has been identified by Spokane police as Dorothy I. LaBounty.
LaBounty was crossing Sprague Avenue at Perry Street about 10 p.m. when she was struck by a car driven by 27-year-old Vitaliy N. Kuzmenkov.
Kuzmenkov has not been charged with a crime or ticketed, said Spokane police Officer Glenn Bartlett.
Police are investigating the crash, however, and asking witnesses to call (509) 835-4567.
Cheney-area fire nearly contained
The Marshall Complex fire in southwest Spokane County was 90 percent contained Monday.
Fire officials said there was still a slight possibility that wind could push some embers over the fire line.
Otherwise, the fire is expected to be fully contained by tonight.
About 140 firefighters will continue to man the smoldering blaze, which started Saturday near railroad tracks south of Cheney, said Eric Keller, a spokesman for the Department of Natural Resources.
On Monday, about 100 firefighters left the Cheney area for Grant County, where a 500-acre wildfire was burning near Ephrata.
The Marshall Complex blaze burned about 350 acres, a house and a garage, Keller said.
The destroyed house belonged to a volunteer firefighter who was camping with his family. They didn’t learn about the wildfire until late Sunday.
Liberty Lake
Pedestrian bridge over I-90 finished
Liberty Lake’s second pedestrian bridge over Interstate 90 is ready to carry walkers, cyclists, inline skaters and runners.
The bridge completes a connection between the city of Liberty Lake on the south side of the freeway and the Centennial Trail on the north by traversing the westbound I-90 on-ramp of the Liberty Lake interchange.
Before this second bridge, trail users could use a different pedestrian bridge to cross the freeway, but had only a crosswalk to use to cross the on-ramp.
A public dedication ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 22 at 10 a.m.
From staff reports