News / Clark County News

Charges refiled in 2012 Vancouver Lake murder

Man accused of helping friend convicted in killing of covering up the crime

By Paris Achen

Published: May 22, 2014, 5:00pm

Charges have been refiled against a Vancouver man accused of assisting convicted murderer Matthew Starr in covering up the February 2012 shooting death of their roommate near Vancouver Lake.

Zachary J. Mattson, 21, of Vancouver appeared Thursday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree rendering criminal assistance, tampering with physical evidence, making false or misleading statements to a public servant and obstructing a law enforcement officer. Judge David Gregerson held Mattson in lieu of $30,000 bail and appointed Vancouver attorney Shon Bogar to defend him. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges June 5.

Starr, 21, admitted in November to fatally shooting his roommate, Joshua R. Schenk, 25, after they went target shooting on Lower River Road near Vancouver Lake with Starr’s two friends, Mattson and Zackery Searcy, on Feb. 29, 2012. Starr apparently wanted Schenk dead so that he could take his valuables, according to court records.

Starr initially told investigators that one of the shooting party’s rifles accidentally discharged, striking Schenk, and Starr then shot Schenk in the back of the head to put him out of his misery, court records say. In November, however, he pleaded guilty to the first-degree premeditated murder. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison.

Mattson helped Starr drag Schenk’s body to a resting place about 4 or 5 feet away from the shooting location and cover it with a plastic tarp, according to court papers. He allegedly also misled investigators about what happened on the day of the murder.

Later, Mattson confessed that “he saw Matthew Starr raise the .22 rifle and shoot Schenk in the back of the head,” according to court papers.

Mattson and Searcy both became ill and vomited, court papers say. Mattson said “he was afraid to tell the truth before because Matthew Starr had threatened to kill both he and his girlfriend,” court papers say.

Mattson was arrested in January 2013 and charged with first-degree rendering criminal assistance and intimidating a witness, but charges were dismissed in February 2013 because more investigation was needed, said Kasey Vu, who was the prosecutor on the case at the time.

“That was before I got on the case,” Deputy Prosecutor Dan Gasperino said Thursday.

“Then, the detectives presented the case they had to me on Mattson, and we decided at that point we had enough to proceed with the charges.”

Searcy, who drove Starr, Mattson and Schenk to Lower River Road on the day of the murder, pleaded guilty in May 2013 to first-degree rendering criminal assistance and was sentenced to 366 days in prison, according to court records.

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