A Vancouver man accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend during an argument and dumping her body at an Oregon state park in August appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court.
Avreaunte Emmanuel Bennett, 24, appeared on suspicion of second-degree domestic violence murder, while armed with a firearm, and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in the slaying of 21-year-old Stephanie Celeste Jones of Vancouver.
During the hearing, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Luka Vitasovic said Bennett disposed of the firearm and his vehicle after the shooting. Investigators have since located the car but found the entire passenger’s side, where Jones was seated, was ripped out, he said.
Vitasovic also spoke to “the callous nature” of Jones’ body being dumped in some bushes along Interstate 84.
Judge Gregory Gonzales set Bennett’s bail at $5 million — $2 million more than Vitasovic’s request. He is scheduled to be arraigned April 1.
Couple had been arguing
On the evening of Aug. 7, Bennett and Jones attended a party at Bennett’s sister’s residence in central Vancouver. Jones spoke with her best friend, Symone Embaye, via video shortly before midnight. The call lasted about an hour, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Embaye later told detectives that both Jones and Bennett were highly intoxicated and arguing while on the video call; she said the couple had admitted to drinking all day. At one point, she saw Jones seated in a vehicle, she said. Bennett then told Embaye that Jones would have to call her back later that morning, Embaye said, and hung up, the affidavit states.
Investigators say that was the last time Jones was seen alive by anyone cooperating in the investigation.
Nearly a week later, on Aug. 13, Jones’ body was found near the westbound onramp to I-84 from Rooster Rock State Park, east of Portland in the Columbia River Gorge. She had one shoe on, according to court records.
An autopsy found she had been shot in the head with a .40 caliber pistol.
Cell tower data shows Bennett was at his sister’s residence from about 5:10 p.m. Aug. 7 until at least 1:17 a.m. Aug. 8, when his phone turned off, the affidavit states.
At 1:53 a.m., a Toyota Prius that appeared to match Bennett’s was captured on Rooster Rock State Park’s toll booth cameras. Later that morning, a park volunteer found a shoe in the parking lot east of where Jones’ body was later found, according to the affidavit.
When Jones’ homicide was reported in the news, Bennett reportedly fled to Tucson, Ariz., court records state.
Embaye told detectives that in the weeks before Jones’ death, Jones had talked about leaving Bennett and moving away from the Portland area. She said Jones had told Bennett multiple times she was going to leave him, court documents say.
Embaye also described a history of domestic violence between the couple.
Jones had recently told Embaye that Bennett threatened multiple times to kill her if she left him, Embaye said. Jones also showed Embaye bruises on her legs caused by Bennett dragging her into a room, and told her Bennett had previously punched and slapped her, court records state.
Warrant locates gun box
Detectives contacted Bennett’s sister Aug. 31 at her residence. She began to cry, detectives said, and told them she could not help them.
Investigators served a search warrant Sept. 2 at Bennett and Jones’ residence in east Vancouver. There, they found two handgun boxes, including one for a Springfield .40 caliber pistol. They learned the handguns were previously purchased by Embaye at Jones’ request, court records state.
Phone records show Bennett called a former girlfriend, D’Auzhanec Harden, after his phone turned on again Aug. 8. Harden later told detectives that during the call, Bennett admitted to shooting Jones during an argument, the affidavit says.
According to Harden, Bennett claimed that Jones tried to grab the gun, which did not have a safety, and point it at him. The couple tussled over it, and it went off. Harden said when she later asked Bennett about Jones’ body being dumped in some bushes, he claimed to be set up, court records show.
Bryan Velasco, another friend who Bennett contacted, told detectives Bennett admitted to killing Jones in a vehicle after an argument. Bennett told him Jones reached for his pistol and was hitting him while he was driving. Velasco said he also overheard Bennett and another friend talking about his Prius being “all burnt up and gone,” according to court records.
Investigators later discovered that Jones’ cellphone, which was not shut off, had connected to a hot spot in Fairview, Ore., around 2:15 a.m. Aug. 8. The address belonged to the mother of one of Bennett’s children, and is a 14-minute drive to Rooster Rock State Park, the affidavit says.
When detectives went to interview the woman Jan. 27, Bennett answered the door and was arrested on a warrant for first-degree theft and fourth-degree domestic violence. The woman told police Bennett had admitted to killing Jones, court records state.
