SPOKANE, Wash.—The Spokane murder-for-hire plot that left a South Hill man dead and multiple people facing charges has made national headlines.
On Sunday, The New York Times published "In North Dakota, a Tale of Oil, Corruption and Death" which partially focuses on James Henrikson, the main suspect in a 2013 Spokane murder. The New York Times' piece also featured a 17 minute video with interviews from the men who worked with Henrikson in the dangerous North Dakota oil business.
Deborah Sontag with The New York Times focused on Henrikson's business dealings with the Tex G. Hall, a tribal chairman.
"Mr. Hall's self-assurance belied the fact that his grip on power was slipping," wrote Sontag. "After six years of dizzyingly rapid oil development, anxiety about the environmental and social costs of the boom, as well as about tribal mismanagement and oil-related corruption, had burst to the surface.
By that point, there were two murder cases — one person dead in Spokane, Wash., the other missing but presumed dead in North Dakota — tied to oil business on the reservation. And Mr. Hall, a once-seemingly untouchable leader, was under investigation by his tribal council because of his connections to an Oregon man who would later be charged with murder for hire in the two deaths."
Sontag goes on to outline the business and personal relationships between Hall and Henrikson. A tribal member told The New York Times that Henrikson's 2013 link to a Spokane murder was the "last straw."
"Now you have a murder, a hit man, and a five-time convicted felon operating as an oil contractor working directly with the chairman. It's like our reservation got hijacked by the plot of a bad movie," Marilyn Hudson told The New York Times.
The article also detailed how Henrikson came to be entangled in the North Dakota tribal and oil business, another man's disappearance and his ties to a murder-for-hit plot in Spokane.
In September, a nine page indictment was filed showed more suspects in an elaborate murder-for-hire plot which included the fatal shooting of Douglas Carlile, 63.
Among those expected to be charged are James Henrikson, 34, who was already in custody and facing charges for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The indictment named the additional suspects as Timothy Suckow, Robby Waher, Todd Bates as well as Robert Delao and Lazaro Pesina. In total, the five suspects could face as many as eleven charges including murder-for-hire plots according to authorities.
As of Fall 2014, James Henrikson remains in custody in North Dakota. The 34-year-old was arrested in January 2014 on unrelated weapons charges. He is currently awaiting trial.
Court records filed on Wednesday showed that Henrikson faces a multitude of charges ranging from conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire to at least two counts of murder-for-hire. Authorities stated that Henrikson is accused of orchestrating the deaths of Carlile and Clark. He plotted to kill Jay Wright, Jed McClure, and Tim Scott. Those three men were not murdered.
He is also accused of being involved in the distribution of 100 grams of heroin.
Previously filed court records showed that Henrikson had business dealings in the North Dakota oil patch with Doug Carlile, who was shot by an intruder at his Spokane home in 2013.
Doug Carlile was killed in a suspected murder-for-hire in December of 2013 in his home on Spokane's South Hill. The indictment records stated that the plan to kill Carlile began in October 2013.
Court records named Henrikson, Timothy Suckow, Robert Delao, Robby Joe Wahrer and Lazaro Tomas Pesina as the men who conspired to kill Carlile. However, court records stated that only Henrikson and Suckow are accused of murder-for-hire. The remaining men are accused of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire.
In January 2014, police arrested 50-year-old Suckow for Carlile's murder. Authorities searched the home of Suckow's co-worker. Officers found a stash of guns in the home including one that officers believe is the possible murder weapon.
Authorities believe Suckow killed Carlile as part of a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by Carlile's business partner, James Henrikson. Sources claimed that Suckow was promised $20,000 to kill Carlile, but never received a dime.
Carlile's widow told KREM 2 News in early 2014 that her husband was trying to distance himself from Henrickson at the time of his death. By March of 2014, prosecutors had decided not to peruse the death penalty if Suckow is convicted.
Court documents filed in September stated that Suckow will be charged with his involvement in Kristopher Clark's murder. Clark worked in North Dakota with James Henrickson when he vanished in 2012.
"He was trying to get away," Clark's mother, Jill Williams told KREM 2 News on Wednesday. "He didn't want to be around those kind of people. He didn't want to be involved in their activities. When he tried to leave, that's when they killed him."
Extensive searches for Kristopher Clark have never turned up a body.
Court records detailed that between Feburary 1, 2012 and February 22, 2012, Henrikson asked Suckow to travel to from Washington to North Dakota to murder Clark. Authorities outlined the crime as a murder-for-hire in the indictment records.
Williams said she is relieved there are finally charges related to her missing son.
The September indictment showed that Henrikson, Robert Delao and Todd Bates plotted to kill Jay Wright between October 2012 and December 2012. All three men face one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire in relation to Wright.
A similar plan was hatched between the same three men to murder Jed McClure in Illinois according to court records. Records indicated that the plan to kill McClure happened between December 2012 and May 2013. The three suspects face another count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire in relation to McClure.
Between January 2013 and May 2013, the three suspects also plotted to kill Tim Scott according to the indictment records. The three suspects face another count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire in relation to Scott.
