Two men have been charged in connection with a double homicide in Maple Valley, in which a man and woman’s bodies were left on the side of the road, covered by a blue tarp and gray blanket.
The two victims, 57-year-old Robert Leroy Frederick Riley and 34-year-old Ashley Nichole Williams, were found shot to death in November in a residential area near the Rock Creek Natural Area. Their bodies were in the bushes at Southeast 252nd Street and 238th Avenue Southeast, under trash and debris.
Brandon Gerner, 39, is charged with first-degree murder for Williams’ killing, second-degree murder for Riley’s killing, first-degree animal cruelty, and unlawfully possessing a firearm. Gerner was released from prison last March after a 22-year sentence.
Joshua Jones, 34, is charged with two counts of felony rendering criminal assistance for allegedly loading the bodies into a vehicle.
Gerner allegedly instructed another man, Kody Olsen, to shoot Riley. Gerner then went into Riley’s trailer and encountered Williams, who was “simply present at the scene,” and repeatedly stabbed her, according to a probable cause document written by a King County sheriff’s detective. An autopsy found she had over 20 stab wounds and was shot twice, according to court documents.
Olsen died in December after he was shot by Pierce County sheriff’s deputies following a DUI traffic stop.
Riley’s property owner called 911 to report her son had seen blood outside his trailer, according to the probable cause statement. Her son told officers he found the door open, blood on the floor, and the belongings in the trailer spread around violently.
While executing a search warrant, investigators found shell casings from two guns, the detective wrote. Law enforcement also got a warrant for location history data, which showed two phones associated with the suspects were in the area during the time of the murder, the detective wrote.
Olsen reportedly told a witness that Gerner killed Riley when a drug deal had “gone bad,” while Gerner said a “homeless guy” pulled a gun on him, the detective wrote. Gerner also told the witness he “had” to kill the woman because she saw the shooting, according to the probable cause statement.
In a separate incident, Gerner also allegedly shot a horse, Lemon, in the face. The witness told investigators Gerner claimed it was a “sacrifice to Odin” after Olsen died, according to the probable cause statement.
According to another witness, who came forward in February, Olsen said he and Gerner were working on the property when a man confronted them and pointed a gun at Gerner, according to the probable cause statement. Gerner told Olsen to shoot him, and then shot Williams in the trailer, according to the probable cause. Olsen allegedly said Gerner stabbed her as she begged for her life, then Olsen shot her because she was suffering, according to the statement.
Gerner allegedly also shot a dog on the property before Jones helped load the bodies into a truck, according to the probable cause statement.
During an interview with detectives at SeaTac City Hall, Gerner said he did not shoot or stab anyone and that Olsen had done all of it, according to the probable cause statement. When asked about the victims’ families, he said he was sorry Williams had to die and that she was in “the wrong place at the wrong time,” the detective wrote.
The three men were all documented as being members of white supremacist prison gangs in Washington, according to court documents.
The two men have arraignments set for Feb. 28.
