SPOKANE, Wash. — The man found guilty of second-degree murder in the road rage shooting death of a Spokane woman was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison on Thursday.
Spokane police arrested Richard Hough in May 2021 for second-degree murder. He was found guilty on Dec. 20, 2022.
In total, Hough was sentenced to 183 months in prison. He received credit for time served and also received 36 months of community custody.
"I would just like to point out that my brother has been the most kind person that I've ever known," Hough's sister, Stephanie, said. "If she would have gotten out of the car that day and asked him for any type of help, he would have taken the shirt off his back to give it to her."
Hough claimed he shot 33-year-old Erika Kienas in self-defense during a road rage incident on May 15, 2021. He said she confronted him with a knife and threatened to cut him.
Officers with the Spokane Police Department (SPD) responded to multiple reports of a woman who was shot shortly before 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 15, 2021. When officers arrived at the intersection of Francis Avenue and Addison Street, they found a woman lying in the road. Despite life-saving measures, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Family members who spoke with KREM 2 after the incident identified her as 33-year-old Erika Kienas. The Spokane County Medical Examiner said Kienas died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Kienas's family who attended the court sentencing spoke about their loss and the sadness of losing their daughter and sister.
"The moment that Erika was shot and killed I was actually walking through Riverfront Park, thinking about her and some of the special times we had had there," said Sarah Brown, Kienas's sister. "Erika had a light inside of her. I love her very much myself and my family are deeply hurt and angry that this happened on a level that none of us can truly express to you here today."
Hough and two of his family members remained on scene and were cooperative with police. Officers said the suspect and victim got into an altercation while driving. When both cars came to a stop at Francis and Addison, the shooter and the victim got out of their cars and exchanged words. That's when the woman was fatally shot while standing in the road.
Before his initial court appearance in 2021, Hough spoke with KREM and admitted to shooting Kienas in self-defense.
Hough said he, along with his mother and brother, was headed to his sister’s house for a barbeque when they saw a car driving on the wrong side of the street. The car then cut them off and his mother, who was driving, honked at them, at which point Kienas flipped them off.
After that, Hough said he doesn’t have a clear recollection of what happened.
“I have a hard time grasping everything in a very stressful situation, I have PTSD, and extreme panic disorder that can send my heart rate, way, way, way above where it should be,” he explained. “So, for me to give an exact recollection would be almost impossible. All I know is she did present a knife and she threatened my life.”
Hough told police he never saw a knife and saw Kienas reach into her bra for something. He told police she had threatened to cut him, according to documents.
On May 18, 2021, Spokane police contacted the driver of the car Kienas was in. According to court documents, the man, who said he was Kienas' boyfriend, said he fled the scene because he had outstanding warrants. He later told the jury this at Hough's trial.
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com.
