KENNEWICK — An accused murderer made a fateful call to his son, allegedly admitting he “snapped” and killed his mother, prosecutors claim.
Brian Wilcox was allegedly apologizing for shooting his 66-year-old wife, Kathy Wilcox, in April 2022, Benton County Prosecutor Eric Eisinger told jurors during opening statements last week.
“These are the first words (Jerry Wilcox) heard. ‘Hi son, if you want to forgive me and have me come home and turn myself in, you can have my stuff … Thank you and I’m truly sorry,’” Eisinger said.
In the 80-minute conversation that followed, Brian Wilcox told his son he lost control during an argument about a car accident, Eisinger said.
What followed was a murder and arson, Eisinger said during the start of Brian Wilcox’s trial in Benton County Superior Court.
The 69-year-old is accused of shooting his wife in the head, setting fire to their Elm Street home, then fleeing 1,700 miles to Oklahoma.
While Eisinger said Brian Wilcox admitted to the killing, defense attorney Branden Landon told jurors to hold off making a judgment until his client takes the stand.
“Now we’re not saying that Mr. Wilcox is not guilty. He is certainly guilty of something, but it’s not what the state alleges here,” Landon told the jurors during opening statements.
Wilcox has been in Benton County jail since May 2022 following his arrest in Del City, Okla.
It’s the latest turn in what started as a report of a house fire in east Kennewick and soon became a murder investigation and manhunt that stretched across the country.
Defense attorney response
But Brian Wilcox’s attorney said the events didn’t happen exactly the way described by the prosecutor.
“Everything you heard are all statements centered around Brian Wilcox,” Landon told the jury. “He’s here. He’s there. But you don’t have to take their word. You’ll hear from him in this trial.”
Landon urged the jurors to wait for the whole context before making up their minds. Once they have all of the information, they can decide for themselves.
“Recall the presumption of innocence that we discussed. Let that guide you and you’ll get everything. We picked you. We trust you. Just wait,” Landon said.
Elm Street murder
Police and firefighters were first called to the 1405 Elm Street home shortly after 10:30 a.m. for smoke and flames coming from the front door and roof.
By the time Benton County Fire District 1 firefighters arrived, fire already had engulfed the home, which is just outside Kennewick city limits.
“Multiple fire engines arrived and were able to put out the fire, and when they did they found what no fireman wants to discover at a house fire — a dead body, later identified as Kathy Wilcox, lying on the kitchen floor,” Eisinger told the jury.
An autopsy would later show that she died from a single shot to the back of her head.
When police were able to get into the house, they found the smell of gasoline and the remains of what appeared to be a gas can, according to court documents.
A neighbor’s security camera, caught Brian Wilcox leaving the home in a blue Mitsubishi Outlander about 10 minutes before the first 911 call, Eisinger said.
He stopped at a Kennewick Bank of America branch and took out $5,000 in cash and fled the Tri-Cities as their home was burning.
As deputies hunted for Brian Wilcox, they got a break — he called his son, Eisinger said.
Initially, Jerry Wilcox didn’t pick up and his father left a message apologizing and saying that he would come back and turn himself in.
When Jerry called him back, they had the long conversation when Brian apologized, and confessed to “snapping,” and said he didn’t mean for the shooting to happen.
“Brian Wilcox said he was extremely sorry for what he had done,” Eisinger recounted. Wilcox said he used a Glock and he still had it.
He said during his 1,700-mile trip, he hadn’t eaten or had coffee and considered hurting himself, the prosecutor told jurors.
Arrested in Oklahoma
After the phone call, Jerry contacted sheriff’s deputies and they soon learned that Brian Wilcox was in Del City, Okla. Local police officers found him and the SUV in a Walmart parking lot.
When the car was searched, Eisinger said investigators found the 9mm Glock handgun used to kill Kathy Wilcox.
The gun was underneath the same hat that Brian Wilcox wore into the bank to withdraw the money.
Officers also discovered a journal where Brian Wilcox wrote that he hoped he would die in a hail of gunfire or that someone would shoot him. In his final entry, Eisinger said he wrote, “I’m going home tomorrow. Jerry doesn’t hate me and all the family wants me home.”
As he was being brought to the Benton County jail by a detective, he told her, “I did a really stupid thing, I’m going to pay for it for a long time,” Eisinger recounted to the jury.
