SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane Police Department (SPD) reports two men have been arrested in connection with the alleged kidnapping and murder of a 51-year-old man found bound and gagged in the Peaceful Valley area on Oct. 23.
According to Nick Briggs with SPD, the major crimes units have arrested 26-year-old John Birgen and 27-year-old Randy Slone for first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. Briggs says a third suspect is being sought.
According to a search warrant, a man looking for his friends at a nearby transient camp found the body around the 3100 block of W Pacific Ave in Spokane. According to the warrant, the man said the body was in the middle of a trail on a steep hillside. The search warrant said that the deceased man was bound at the hands and gagged.
When police arrived on the scene, they found several footprints around the body, a pool of blood near the deceased man’s head and a piece of clothing covering his head.
The victim has been identified as 51-year-old Andy Hernandez. A medical examiner declared his cause of death to be blunt force trauma and asphyxial injuries.
Briggs says the investigation is ongoing and the crime does not appear to be a random incident but rather a targeted attack.
Both suspects have criminal histories that include assault and possession of stolen property. Birgen has been in jail since Oct. 29 on a probation violation. Slone was arrested Wednesday (Nov. 9) morning.
This is a developing story. Please return to this article for future updates.