SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — What started as a welfare check has now turned into a murder investigation.
The investigation into what happened to 62 year-old, Robert B. Abbott, started after he was reported missing by his wife, Starr Abbott, on April 6, 2024.
The Spokane County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) says after investigations started in April, they now consider Abbott to be dead, but his body has not been found.
According to court documents, Starr Abbott was served with divorce papers on April 1, 2024. Starr had reportedly gone to stay with family until a friend asked her to check on Abbott on April 6 after not hearing from him for several days.
Documents say on April 5, Starr went to the victims house to check on him but she couldn't get inside because he had taken her keys. She then was able to get inside through a window only to find the victims dogs and a "disorderly" house. The docs go on to say that she and an associate broke into the locked detached shop on the property. When they got into the shop, she discovered a pool of blood on the floor and she noticed that the victims BMW as well as many of his tools were missing.
SCSO says detectives with the Major Crimes Unit developed probable cause to charge 51-year-old Richard L. Trower with Second Degree Murder, Residential Burglary, Taking a Motor Vehicle without Permission in the Second Degree, Theft in the Second Degree and Trafficking in Stolen Property. Detectives also found probable cause to charge Trower’s wife, 52-year-old Teri L. Trower with Rendering Criminal Assistance in the First Degree and Trafficking in Stolen Property. Both were booked into the Spokane County Jail on August 28.
A third suspect, 43-year-old, Heather L. Lewis, was also booked into jail for charges of Second Degree Murder, Residential Burglary, Taking a Motor Vehicle without Permission in the Second Degree, and Theft in the Second Degree.
A friend close to the victim says that Richard and the victim once lived together but had a falling out.
Court docs detail that in the next several days, Richard Trower was selling different items like a chainsaw and a stereo across the county.
Court documents say that on April 5, Abbott's stolen BMW was found in a mobile home park in Mead, WA and that Richard Trower had been seen driving by witnesses.
On April 6, Richard Trower - his wife Teri and another man were pulled over in an unlicensed gray Chevrolet Suburban. Documents say officials took the car as evidence after finding blood but they weren't able to connect the blood to the victim at that time.
On April 9, officials were able to get a search warrant for the victims BMW, that's when investigators found several blood stains in the car and in the trunk. According to court docs, the amount of blood inside the trunk suggested a large object - consistent with the size of a human body - has been stored in there.
According to court documents, Richard Trower and Lewis had several phone conversations between April 2 and April 4 about what to do with the certain items. Richard Trower then told Lewis to delete the messages off her phone.
Teri Trower made her first court appearance on August 29 and her arraignment has been set for September 10. Commissioner Eugene Cruz set her bail at $100,000.
"I just need answers, I need my husband, I need my friend," said Starr Abbott, wife of the victim.