Officer Rudy Podhora keeps watch at the scene of a possible homicide in Woodland on Tuesday morning. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
One of two Vancouver men accused in the slaying of a Woodland man told investigators that his accomplice beat the homeowner to death with a baseball bat after he interrupted them burglarizing his house, and then set the place on fire to cover up the crime.
Cowlitz County sheriff’s deputies arrested both suspects this week, nearly two years after 62-year-old Donald William Howard was found dead inside his charred home, 2145 Dahlia St.
Detectives picked up Kristopher L. Hoyt, 27, Thursday morning from the Monroe Correctional Complex and booked him into the Cowlitz County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder. Dustin Alan Griffin, 39, was arrested late Monday on suspicion of first-degree murder and was also booked into the jail.
Both men have already made first appearances in Cowlitz County Superior Court on the allegations and are being held without bail.
Howard was found dead Nov. 22, 2016, in his home by firefighters from Clark County Fire & Rescue responding to a house fire. Investigators later concluded the fire appeared to have been set intentionally.
The Cowlitz County Coroner’s Office ruled Howard died of blunt-force trauma, and that his death was a homicide.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, someone called 911 shortly after 4:30 a.m. to report Howard’s house was on fire. Responding firefighters and Woodland police found flames coming out the front door. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze.
They then found a handheld propane torch near the front door, and upon entering the residence, found Howard dead, lying face-down with his legs and wrists bound together. There were two five-gallon propane bottles and two lighter fluid bottles near Howard’s body, which was covered with a blanket that smelled of accelerants, the affidavit states.
Investigators found the rear sliding door window was broken and the door ajar, and there was duct tape hanging from broken shards of glass, court records say.
Howard was known to collect gold jewelry, eagle knives, eagle artwork, coins and Franklin Mint watches with eagle designs, investigators say. His house appeared to have been ransacked. Items were missing from the walls, drawers were open and mattresses were overturned. Jewelry that Howard always wore was missing from his person, as was his wallet, according to court documents.
Howard had been struck multiple times in the head. The initial attack happened in an office near the front door, but Howard’s body was found 15 feet away in his living room, the affidavit states.
During the course of their investigation, detectives interviewed a woman in June who said Griffin confided in her that he had done something bad and needed to get out of town, court records say. Another woman familiar with Griffin told detectives that he and another man were involved in Howard’s homicide near the end of November 2016. Griffin told her Howard was supposed to be fishing, but he came home and interrupted their burglary. Griffin was frantic and shaken up, she said, and he stated he didn’t mean to kill Howard, according to court documents.
Cellphone records showed Griffin’s phone in the area of Howard’s house when the 911 call was placed. It also pinged off a nearby tower a dozen times that morning, investigators said. In late August, detectives served a search warrant at Griffin’s home and found a pair of shoes with tread pattern matching that found at the scene, court records state.
Investigators later identified Hoyt as the other man possibly with Griffin during the homicide. Detectives interviewed Hoyt, who was serving prison time in another case, and he admitted to being involved in the homicide, the affidavit says.
He told detectives he drove Griffin to Howard’s house in a blue Dodge Ram that Griffin had stolen. Griffin knew Howard was going to be gone fishing, Hoyt said, because he fished daily. They broke into his house through the rear sliding door and started ransacking the place when Howard walked in the front door and confronted Hoyt in a small office. Griffin struck Howard in the head from behind with a baseball bat, court documents state.
“Hoyt said as Donny clung for life lying on the ground, Dustin continued to strike Donny with the bat and rob him of the jewelry he was wearing,” according to the affidavit.
Howard was then dragged to the living room. He struggled as he was being beaten and robbed, Hoyt said, so Griffin tied him up using a piece of rope found in the garage, court records say.
After Howard was dead, the men loaded the stolen items into the pickup, Hoyt told detectives, and Griffin came back later and set the house on fire, court records state.
Columbian staff writer Jerzy Shedlock contributed to this story.
