Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of violence that may be disturbing to some readers
SPOKANE, Wash. – The man who murdered his girlfriend in their northwest Spokane home in July 2019 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Bryce Thompson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in February, police said. He must serve 20 years before he can begin to accrue time off for good behavior.
The Spokane County Medical Examiner ruled the death of Alyssa Dodd, 20, a homicide after she died from blunt head injuries.
Bryce Thompson, who was 19 years old at the time of the murder, was taken into custody in Montana shortly after Dodd’s death.
Police responded to a home in the Emerson-Garfield neighborhood on July 17, 2019, for reports of a dead body. Dodd, her sister and Thompson lived together in the home at 1600 W. Shannon Ave.
When police arrived at the home, Dodd’s sister told them it was obvious she had died as a result of violence, according to court documents. She also said that Thompson, identified as the victim’s boyfriend, fled the scene in her car.
When the victim’s sister returned home after running errands later that day, she went into the bedroom Dodd and Thompson shared. She found Dodd covered in blood with plastic bag over her face and duct tape around her neck, according to court documents.
According to court documents, Dodd’s sister attempted CPR and called for help.
Dodd’s sister also told police there were numerous weapons in the home and a handgun in her car, but she did not know if they were used in her sister’s death, according to court documents. She added that Thompson was aware of the weapons.
When police searched the home on July 19, a detective found a hitch ball mount that appeared to have blood and body material on it, according to court documents. A hitch ball mount is a metal insert used to attach a vehicle to a hitch.
The detective said he also believed that the hitch ball mount could have been used as a weapon to strike and kill Dodd, according to court documents.
The detective also found plastic sheeting wrapped around the victim’s face consistent with plastic sheeting he saw in the lining of the ceiling, according to court documents.
According to court documents, the detective also found a folding knife on the basement floor.