RICHLAND, Wash. – The man who said he carried out murders for James Henrikson took the stand again Monday and broke down in tears in federal court.
Timothy Suckow pleaded guilty in 2015 to killing both Spokane businessman Doug Carlile and North Dakota man KC Clarke. The prosecution is trying to prove to the jury Henrikson hired him to do it.
Suckow cried on the stand as he described in detail how he killed both men. At one point Suckow said, “I can’t believe I shot him,” when asked about the murder of Carlile at his S. Spokane home in 2013.
Toward the end of 2013, Suckow said he met with Robert Delao at Riverfront Park in Spokane. Suckow said he thought they were meeting to talk about selling oxycontin. But instead, Delao asked him if he wanted to do a local job, referring to the murder of Carlile. In exchange, Suckow said he was offered a seat on the board of Henrikson's new company but said he thought that was dumb and said, "If someone showed up dead and I took their place it would look a little obvious."
The prosecution then showed emails sent back and forth between Suckow and Delao before the murder that contained a photo of Carlile and a description of Carlile's wife's car and home. Suckow said he referred to the job as a "Pinata Party" because he wanted to assault Carlile instead of murdering him.
"I didn't want to kill him and I was trying to keep it on the Pinata Party issue. I was even trying to contract it out because I didn't want to do it myself," Suckow explained on the witness stand.
However, Suckow said Delao was insistent that it be murder because Carlile had a meeting Monday morning Henrikson did not want him to attend. Suckow said he recruited Robby Wahrer and Lazaro Pesina for the home invasion but did not tell them the plan was to murder Carlile. Wahrer drove the getaway van, Pesina waited outside the home with Suckow for the Carliles to come home but never went inside. When the Carliles did come home that night Suckow said he forced his way in the home as Doug tried to close the door. On the witness stand Suckow said, "I was trying to get him on the floor, he wouldn't listen. I was really scared."
Through tears Suckow said, "he dropped his hand and I started shooting. I emptied the clip. I don't even remember aiming it. I remember hearing the shell casings bouncing. I'm sorry. And I started seeing him fall finally."
After the murder, Suckow says he texted Delao, "Tell the boss to watch the news."
Suckow said he traveled to North Dakota because Henrikson, "Needed a big brother." When he got there, he said Henrikson lured KC Clarke into the shop of his business, distracted Clarke by drawing his attention to a motorcycle that was inside and when his back was turned Suckow says he bludgeoned him to death with an aluminum jack handle.
Suckow said Henrikson never tried to stop him and instead was concerned about cleaning up the blood in the shop. Suckow then described how along with Henrikson, and a man named George Dennis then got rid of Clarke's truck and then his body. After burying the body Suckow said they burned clothing and other items. Investigators recovered some of the burned items and showed them in court.
Suckow identified Clarke's money clip and part of his boot among what was recovered but investigators still cannot find Clarke's body. Prosecutors also asked Suckow about a conversation he said he had with Henrikson while being transported to Spokane after they were both arrested. Suckow said Henrikson said, "I hear they didn't find the body." Suckow replied, "Yeah, I must have dug it deep enough or something."
Suckow said Henrikson also told him he had a $50,000 hit out on Delao. His testimony will continue Tuesday.