Man sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing 34-year-old homeless man in downtown Spokane

A 22-year-old who beat a sleeping homeless man to death with a large rock nearly four years ago in downtown Spokane was sentenced Thursday to more than 10 years in prison.

Aaron R. Holder pleaded guilty as charged Thursday to second-degree murder in the death of 34-year-old Justin Combs before Spokane County Superior Court Judge Andrew Van Winkle handed down the 123-month sentence, recommended by the prosecution and defense.

Court documents indicate a woman came across an injured man, identified as Combs, the morning of June 7, 2021, outside the Intermodal Center, 221 W. First Ave. She notified security, who called the police.

A police officer found Combs severely injured and bleeding from his head inside a sleeping bag. He assisted with first aid until medics arrived.

Combs died at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center 10 days after the assault.

A detective noted blood stains on the sidewalk and scuff marks consistent with a rock impacting it, according to documents. A large piece of basalt rock, which had a blood stain and sleeping bag filler stuck to it, also had scratches consistent with hitting the sidewalk.

Police believe Holder used the rock, which weighed about 51 pounds, to beat Combs.

Surveillance video from a nearby business showed a thin white man, roughly 20 years old, with brown hair, light gray sweatpants, a blue or purple hoodie and a colored blanket approach Combs at 5:43 a.m. while he was sleeping on the sidewalk.

The man appeared to be going through Combs’ belongings or moving the sleeping bag to see who was inside before leaving the area.

At 5:51 a.m., the man returned, walked by Combs and then away from the area again. Six minutes later, the man returned to Combs again. He picked up a heavy rock and threw it at the head area of the sleeping bag while Combs appeared to be sleeping inside, the video showed.

The man ran away but returned seconds later, picked up the heavy object and threw it three more times at the head area of the sleeping bag. The man then dragged Combs out of view of the camera before walking away.

Police initially linked Samual Tesch-Villa, who was 19 at the time, to the killing. He was arrested the month after the June 7 beating and charged with first-degree murder. Prosecutors dropped the murder charge in December of that year after they couldn’t locate a key witness, according to a previous Spokesman-Review story.

Documents say Tesch-Villa was arrested based on statements from “associates in his life at the time.” Tesch-Villa maintained his innocence, and physical evidence did not support him being a suspect, police said in documents.

On Jan. 8, 2024, a police officer spotted Tesch-Villa, who had a misdemeanor warrant, documents say.

Tesch-Villa told the officer he knew Holder killed Combs because Holder apologized to him for Tesch-Villa’s time spent in jail. Police arrested Holder on Jan. 10, 2024, for misdemeanor warrants, and he’s been incarcerated since then.

Holder initially declined to speak to police about the homicide before confessing to the killing, court records say.

He admitted to being in front of the Wolfe Apartments, across from the Intermodal Center, because his mother would sometimes stay there. During his interview with police, Holder watched the video of the assault and cried, documents say.

He told police he did not know Combs and would not or could not explain why he killed him, documents say. Holder asked police what kind of punishment he was facing.

The standard sentence range for Holder was about 10 to 18 years in prison, but Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Jonathan Degen said Thursday that Holder, who was 18 at the time of the killing, could have asked for a sentence well below the standard range because of mitigating factors for youth. The defense also explored a “diminished capacity” defense because of Holder’s mental health.

Degen said Holder was initially found incompetent to stand trial, sent to Eastern State Hospital for competency restoration and then deemed competent.

Because of the “risks” that could lead to a lesser sentence, Degen said they settled on the low end of the standard range.

Holder has no prior felony convictions, and his attorney, David Lund, said he was homeless at the time of the killing.

Holder, who wore yellow Spokane County Jail clothing, declined to give a statement to the court. Combs’ father appeared virtually on a screen in court and declined to give a victim impact statement.

Van Winkle ordered Holder to serve three years of probation when he’s released from prison. Holder will also have to undergo mental health and substance abuse evaluations and adhere to any recommended treatment.

Van Winkle said the low-end sentence was appropriate, especially given Holder’s mental condition and his young age. He said one of the primary goals is rehabilitation and transforming Holder into a productive member of society.

“You’ve got an opportunity here,” Van Winkle said. “Don’t waste it.”