Bail for a man accused in the slaying of transgender Vancouver teenager Nikki Kuhnhausen was increased Tuesday after the prosecution provided new information about the defendant’s potential flight risk.
Clark County Superior Court Judge David Gregerson increased David Y. Bogdanov’s bail from $750,000 to $2 million.
Bogdanov, 25, of Vancouver, is charged with second-degree murder and malicious harassment, now legally called a hate-crime offense in Washington, in the 17-year-old girl’s death. Authorities allege Bogdanov strangled Kuhnhausen after learning she was transgender.
Kuhnhausen disappeared in early June. Her remains were discovered Dec. 7 after someone reported finding a human skull in the woods at Larch Mountain, southeast of Battle Ground.
On Tuesday, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Colin Hayes asked that Bogdanov’s bail be increased to $6 million, citing new information from police reports.
Hayes said investigators learned that Bogdanov purchased a one-way ticket to Ukraine on the day of Kuhnhausen’s alleged murder. He did not return to the area until Aug. 26.
Bogdanov’s travel history showed that he left the United States on June 7, with a flight destination of Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Kiev, Ukraine. He re-entered the U.S. on July 15, according to the prosecution’s motion to increase bail.
The defense argued that the $750,000 bail previously set by Gregerson was appropriate and that Bogdanov would surrender his passport if he posted bond.
Gregerson said that despite Bogdanov having no criminal history, this latest information is “definitely a red flag,” and opted to increase his bail.
