Vancouver man accused of killing, trying to dismember his mother

When Judge Gregory Gonzales asked Moore if he understood his rights and wanted a court-appointed attorney, Moore said, “I think so” and “I believe so.”

Gonzales appointed Vancouver attorney Louis Byrd Jr. to represent Moore. He will be arraigned March 7.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Kasey Vu said Moore may have used a different name in the past so prosecutors have not yet been able to verify his criminal history.

According to court records filed in the case, Holt’s boyfriend, Jeff Hesterley, called 911 about 9:15 a.m. Friday to request a welfare check at her residence at 3715 E. 18th St. The two had been dating for seven months, and he hadn’t heard from her since Feb. 14 when they had lunch together. She also had stopped going to work.

Hesterley had called Holt over the next few days, but she didn’t answer. He then drove to her house Friday to check on her. He entered her home with his key and was confronted by Moore, who also lives there. Moore blocked Hesterley, screamed at him to get out and slammed the door shut. That’s when Hesterley called the police, an affidavit of probable cause states.

Vancouver police responded about 15 minutes later to check on Holt. Officers Brett Bailey and Brian Schaffer knocked on the door and announced their presence. They entered the house when no one answered. Once inside, they were confronted by Moore. He stood near a hallway with a rifle and pointed the barrel at Bailey’s head, the affidavit states. The officers retreated.

Additional Vancouver police officers and a SWAT team responded to the residence, where a standoff ensued.

According to radio traffic monitored at The Columbian, SWAT officers deployed a robot to approach the residence and used a flash bang — an explosive device that temporarily disorients a target’s senses — before Moore walked out of the house.

Officers detained Moore, and as they cleared the residence, they found what appeared to be a dead woman inside, court records said.

Moore was subsequently booked into the Clark County Jail on suspicion of first-degree assault for allegedly pointing the rifle at Bailey. He declined to speak with detectives and requested a lawyer.

Police obtained a search warrant for the residence and began processing the scene. Officers identified the dead woman as Holt from her driver’s license and said it appeared she suffered blunt force trauma to her head and lacerations from some type of “edged instrument,” according to court documents.

Officers found “sharp cutting instruments” near Holt’s body and household cleaning chemicals, such as bleach. Moore had begun attempting to dismember his mother’s body and clean up the scene, the affidavit said.

Vu said Tuesday that the police investigation is ongoing.

Holt remembered

In a phone interview, Hesterley, 51, of Milwaukie, Ore., told The Columbian that Holt was an elder of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. She worked as a waitress at the downtown Portland Hilton, where the couple had met through work.

“She was the most honest and open person and giving to anybody,” he said. “She was just so kind to everybody, and I was so fortunate to be able to be with her the last few months of her life.”

When Hesterley first met Holt, he said she told him that she cares for Moore, who apparently suffered injuries from a car crash several years ago. Hesterley cares for his parents, he said, so that is something they had in common.

“(We are) devoted to our families,” Hesterley said. “As far as she was concerned, (Moore) was pretty well incapacitated.”

Hesterley never met Moore before Friday, he said, which was odd because he’s been over to Holt’s residence many times. He said Moore was always in his room.

Hesterley said the Hilton plans to have an employee memorial service for Holt, but those details have not yet been finalized.

Reporter Emily Gillespie contributed to this story.