Nenemeny W. Ekiek, 21, suspected in the killing of Kelso convenience store clerk Kayla Chapman, appeared Tuesday morning in Clark County Superior Court after being arrested on a warrant two weeks ago.
Ekiek was arrested in Vancouver hours before an alleged accomplice in the homicide, Erkinson K. Bossy, 23, led police officers on a chase from Vancouver to Portland. The chase erupted into gunfire and ended on Interstate 84.
Ekiek was arrested without incident during a traffic stop, Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said. He was arrested on a felony warrant unrelated to the fatal shooting but admitted his involvement while in custody, according to police records cited by The Daily News in Longview.
Court records show Ekiek’s warrant stems from a Clark County Superior Court case filed in September charging him with heroin possession and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. In December, prosecutors added a bail-jumping charge to the case.
Deputy Prosecutor Julie Carmena said Ekiek failed to appear for two hearings in his drug case. She also noted Ekiek’s criminal history that includes failing to show up for court hearings and a prior conviction for attempting to elude police.
Judge Robert Lewis granted the state’s request for $10,000 bail. His bail was initially set at $2,500.
After spending time in the hospital being treated for unspecified injuries, Bossy was booked Feb. 9 into the Multnomah County, Ore., Detention Center to start extradition proceedings.
Investigators say Bossy and Ekiek were with D’Anthony Leslie Williams, 19, when Williams allegedly shot and killed Chapman, 30, a store clerk at Holt’s Quik Chek Market in Kelso.
Williams was arrested in Camas the day after the fatal shooting. Ekiek was arrested during a traffic stop in Vancouver hours before the police chase. Both men have already appeared in Cowlitz County Superior Court on allegations of first-degree murder and first-degree robbery.
