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Murder suspect told Spokane police he planned to kill victim, then her sister

Alyssa C. Dodd, 20, died from blunt head injuries last week, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner. Her death was ruled a homicide. (Facebook)
Alyssa C. Dodd, 20, died from blunt head injuries last week, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner. Her death was ruled a homicide. (Facebook)
By Jared Brown jaredb@spokesman.com(509) 459-5135

The suspect in the July 17 death of Alyssa Dodd confessed to a Spokane police detective that he planned the killing of the 20-year-old woman but didn’t go through with a plan to kill her sister after forcing her to transfer $20,000 to his bank account, according to court documents.

Bryce J. Thompson, 19, told police that he repeatedly hit his girlfriend, Alyssa Dodd, over the head with a three-ball trailer hitch, covered her mouth with duct tape and put plastic over her head the morning of July 17, according to court documents.

Asked repeatedly by police why he chose to kill Dodd, Thompson reportedly said, “I guess I wanted to go out with a bang,” and planned on eventually killing himself, too. He initially told police he had blacked out and didn’t know why he was arrested, according to court documents.

Dodd left for work at about 7 p.m. July 16 and did not return home until between 2:30 and 3 a.m., Thompson told police. He said he waited to kill her until she fell asleep because he “wanted to cuddle with her one more time.” Thompson said he got out of bed and grabbed the trailer hitch sometime between 10:30 and 11 a.m.

Trichelle Dodd, the victim’s sister, told police that around 12:15 p.m. Thompson came upstairs and was “acting weird,” before she briefly went to the store.

During that time, Thompson told police he looked through Trichelle’s room for marijuana and found enough money belonging to her boyfriend to flee to Montana or North Dakota. He told investigators he planned to force Trichelle to transfer him $20,000 and then kill her, but opted not to because he found enough money in the room.

Trichelle Dodd told police she attempted CPR on her sister when she came home from the store, but Alyssa was pronounced dead at their shared Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood home. Trichelle called 911 at 12:38 p.m., according to court documents.

Police found a note that had blood on it, reading “I went crazy,” according to court documents.

Trichelle Dodd’s boyfriend told police he was missing about $4,000.

The gray Chevy Malibu allegedly stolen from Trichelle Dodd was equipped with OnStar and was tracked to Alberton, Montana, just before 4:30 p.m.

U.S. marshals and Missoula County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Thompson minutes later, after a foot chase through the woods in Missoula County.

Thompson is being held in Missoula County Jail on a warrant for first-degree murder. His bond was set at $1 million.

Spokane police filed warrants Tuesday morning to search two cellphones, one belonging to Alyssa Dodd and one belonging to Thompson. Police say the phones might have evidence that Thompson planned the murders and communicated with individuals in Montana or North Dakota.