A Portland man suspected in the slaying of his boyfriend, whose body was found near Dougan Falls on Saturday, made his first appearance in Skamania County Superior Court on Thursday and was booked into the county jail on $2 million bail.
Deputies on Wednesday arrested Benjamin C. Serrato, 40, on suspicion first-degree domestic violence murder in the death of Christopher M. Libert, 40, of Portland.
Libert’s body was found near a bridge at Dougan Falls, and an autopsy found he had been shot and stabbed.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed with the court, Skamania County sheriff’s deputies first arrived at Dougan Falls around 9:15 a.m. Saturday for a report of a death.
According to the court record, deputies spoke to nearby campers and residents, several of whom said they heard a gunshot in the area around 3 that morning, according to the court records.
One resident heard a vehicle drive away several minutes after the gunshot.
Investigators found some fresh tire impressions in the mud nearby. About two feet from there, deputies found what looked like blood on the ground. About 30 feet away from the pool of blood and 15 feet over an embankment, they found Libert’s body.
An autopsy found he had been stabbed at least 11 times and shot in the head, according to court records. Investigators identified Libert using his fingerprints, and found he had a Portland address and a roommate: Serrato.
On Monday, deputies went to Serrato’s home in Portland. The deputies, according to court records, noted Serrato’s Honda Accord, which was parked outside his apartment, had a tire tread pattern similar to what they saw at the crime scene.
The deputies told Serrato they were investigating what happened to Libert, and Serrato invited them inside. There, according to court records, he told the deputies he and Libert had been dating, and were on-and-off roommates. He said he hadn’t seen Libert since March 30.
On that night, Libert came to the store where Serrato works and bought some beer, Serrato said They spoke, he said, and argued about Libert’s relationship with Portland’s Amanda Rauch, who Serrato described as Libert’s girlfriend.
Serrato told the deputies that earlier that week, Libert brought a full travel bag to his house. He said he and Rauch had a fight, and she threw many of his things into the trash. Libert asked if he could leave the bag at Serrato’s house. Serrato said he agreed, adding that he later found two boxes of .38-caliber ammunition in the bag.
Serrato explained he once rented an apartment nearby where he and Libert, and Rauch on occasion, would stay. Eventually, they were evicted because Libert and Rauch weren’t on the lease, and he was concerned the two had criminal records.
Rauch told the deputies she hadn’t heard from Libert since March 30 and was worried.
According to court records, she told the deputies that Serrato, over the past several months, had been trying to stop Libert’s relationship with Rauch. More recently, Serrato told Libert he had to make a choice between the two, Rauch said.
Rauch said Serrato came to the store where she works on Saturday, according to court records. He asked if she had seen Libert, and she hadn’t. Serrato also told her Libert shot out the front tire on Serrato’s Honda. Rauch told deputies that confused her, because Libert doesn’t have a gun.
After talking to Serrato, according to court records, Rauch checked her purse and found her gun, a .38-caliber revolver, was missing.
The deputies returned to Serrato’s place after speaking to Rauch. They asked about his tire, and he said he assumed it had been shot because he found it was flat after getting done with work March 30. He said he had the tire replaced.
The tire shop said it had already destroyed the tire for recycling. The deputies reviewed surveillance video at the tire store, and noticed a tire an employee took from the trunk to replace old one had the familiar tread pattern from the crime scene. They also noticed mud in the tread and car’s wheel well, consistent with the tracks at Dougan Falls.
At the sheriff’s office request, Serrato traveled to Stevenson on Wednesday, where he agreed to speak after being read his Miranda rights.
Serrato repeated his earlier statements, and consented to a polygraph. When asked whether he did anything to cause Libert’s death, the results indicated he was being deceptive, according to court records.
He continued to deny any involvement. When pressed, Serrato said Libert told him he wanted to kill himself, and he drove Libert to Washougal and dropped him off at a store, to help him find a good spot. Later, Serrato said he drove Libert to Dougan Falls so he could kill himself there.
They kissed goodbye, he said, and Libert left to walk to the river’s edge. Serrato said he didn’t see whether Libert had any weapons, and didn’t know how Libert planned to kill himself.
The deputy who wrote the affidavit said Libert’s death did not at all appear to be consistent with suicide.
