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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Macabre crime scene

Teen’s body partially dismembered with hatchet

An apparently accidental shooting inside a Spokane home took a horrific turn Tuesday when the victim’s friends panicked and began dismembering his body with a hatchet in what authorities described as an ill-conceived attempt to try to conceal the fatality.

The plan unraveled when someone in the house at 4818 N. Lincoln St. called police shortly before 5 a.m. to report the tragedy and officers converged on the scene, Officer Jennifer DeRuwe said.

Found dead and partially dismembered inside the home was Dylan J. Heinen, 19, of Spokane, a 2012 graduate of the Community School, formerly known as Havermale High School. The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner.

Heinen’s friend, 19-year-old Jeremy McVicker, is in custody and facing a first-degree manslaughter charge, police said.

Officers discovered the macabre scene after receiving the alarming phone call and heading to the home, which county records show is owned by Maureen McVicker.

DeRuwe said officers spotted blood on the feet of the man who answered the door at the house. Inside, they discovered Heinen’s remains, a hatchet and a group of young men and women who were in the home when the shooting occurred.

Detectives spent the day interviewing male and female witnesses, who were later released, DeRuwe said.

Police believe several young people were in the house when the accidental shooting occurred. It’s unclear what kind of gun was involved.

According to social media websites, Heinen and his alleged killer, Jeremy McVicker, were friends and until Heinen transferred to another school had attended Shadle Park High School together.

Dennis Allour, who has lived down the street for 27 years, said he wasn’t very surprised to hear about the shooting. While police said Tuesday’s shooting was an isolated incident, Allour said there are a few nuisance homes in the area and the neighborhood has been hit with thefts and drug traffic over the past few years.

“It’s really kind of sad,” he said. “It’s really changed a lot.”

Deputy City Editor David Wasson contributed to this report.