A man shot to death last month had been with his girlfriend when the two were robbed of a vehicle to settle a debt, according to court documents filed in support of charges in the case.
Neil Allen Alway, 39, and Ashley Lorraine Barry, 31, both transients, appeared in court Monday to face charges in connection to the incident.
Two additional suspects were arrested Monday night. John Michael West, 43, is accused of first-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery. Ashley L. Wideman, 23, is accused of first-degree kidnapping. Both are expected to appear in court Tuesday.
Alway faces a charge of first-degree murder for the slaying of Raymond C. Brandon. He and Barry both face charges of first-degree robbery and first-degree kidnapping.
A probable cause affidavit filed in the case gives the following account of events:
Allison Fields, who had been dating Brandon for nine months, told police that for the first few weeks of April, she and Brandon had been driving a silver Subaru Forester to a residence on Northeast 172nd Avenue to shower and eat breakfast.
On April 20, shortly after they arrived at the residence, the four suspects came into the room and ordered Fields and Brandon to take off their clothes.
Alway pointed a semi-automatic handgun at both Fields and Brandon before taking Brandon outside while Barry stayed with Fields inside the house.
Fields said she heard what sounded like someone being hit with an object and then Brandon screaming; Fields said she could tell he was frightened and in pain. Then, she told police, she heard a loud gunshot and the screaming stopped.
Alway and the other man, West, then ran back inside and said they all had to leave quickly.
Alway zip-tied Fields’ hands and led her outside, where Barry broke the driver’s side window and unsuccessfully tried to start the Subaru without the keys.
Fields told investigators that “Alway wanted to take the Subaru from them to settle Ray’s debt,” the affidavit states.
The four then got into a white Jeep SUV with Fields and drove to “the farm” on Northeast 119th Street in Vancouver.
Once at “the farm,” Barry cut Fields’ zip ties and told Fields not to cry or she would be killed, adding that the only reason she was not dead already was because Barry knew Fields’ father.
Fields told Alway that her father already had a window to replace the one broken on the Subaru, and he agreed to drive her to her father’s so he could get the window replacement.
Looking for her father, Alway drove Fields to her grandmother’s house and found her father outside. Fields ran toward him, and Barry and Alway fled, keeping the Subaru and Fields’ tablet computer.
On April 25, a Vancouver police officer arrested Alway and Barry on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, a Jeep Wrangler. Alway was in possession of a black .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun and was charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon.
Two days later, Clark County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to 15308 N.E. 172nd Ave., southeast of Hockinson High School, for a report of a body found on the property.
A witness reported that she heard rumors that Brandon had been shot in the shed of a residence and went to the residence and spoke with a man who lived there. The resident denied knowing anything about the incident, but gave the witness permission to search the property. She found Brandon’s body in the shed and called 911.
The Clark County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Brandon, 34, and classified his death as homicidal violence. He suffered a gunshot wound to his chest.
Both Alway and Barry were interviewed and provided detectives with an account that was fairly similar to Fields’ account, though Alway told detectives that he was not involved, saying he was on the other side of the yard trying to get his Jeep out of the mud.
Alway told detectives that Brandon and the other man present during the incident were smoking in the backyard when he left. He also said that the other man had been carrying the gun found in Alway’s possessions.
He said he learned about Brandon’s death from the newspaper.
During Monday’s court hearing, Judge Derek Vanderwood set bail for Alway at $2 million and bail for Barry at $250,000. Both are scheduled to be arraigned May 11.
