Cowlitz County Chief Criminal Deputy Charlie Rosenzweig told The Columbian on Tuesday that detectives believe multiple people, including Griffin, went to Howard’s home to rob him, and in the course of the robbery, Howard was killed. Investigators believe the fire was then set to cover up the crime, Rosenzweig said.
Other people have been interviewed in connection with the case, he said, and the investigation is ongoing.
The sheriff’s office said Howard, who went by Donny, usually fished near the Lewis River Fish Hatchery. He would go there early in the morning and often sold homemade lead fishing weights. He was also known to pick up cans and trash along the river and nearby road.
Investigators with the sheriff’s office and the Woodland Police Department had been actively pursing leads in the case in the two years since Howard’s death, the press release said.
“This is an example of the great day-in and day-out hard work being done by our detectives. We knew from the beginning that we were going to solve this case, but it has taken hard work and tenacity by these guys to get it done,” Sheriff Mark Nelson said in the press release. “I couldn’t be happier for Mr. Howard’s family that this part of their nightmare is over.”
Griffin was booked into the Cowlitz County Jail. He made a first appearance on the murder allegation Tuesday afternoon in Cowlitz County Superior Court.
Griffin has extensive criminal history in Clark County, dating back to the late 1990s, court records show, and he has a pending case scheduled for trial in December in Clark County Superior Court for possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
