| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2010 5:44 am |
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Local News 
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Victim of alleged burglary now a suspect in killing Homeowner accused of killing alleged burglar ARLINGTON — On Monday, police considered Arlington homeowner Keira S. Earhart a burglary victim.Two days later, detectives arrested Earhart, 38, and put him behind bars. Earhart is suspected of killing the break-in suspect by shooting him in the back. “It's an unusual case,” Snohomish County sheriff's spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said. “We don't see cases where the original victim becomes the suspect and the alleged suspect becomes the victim.” Detectives do not have any information indicating Earhart was acting in self-defense, she said. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office identified the man who died as Ryan A. Rzechula, 25, of Stanwood. He died of a gunshot wound to the back. His death was ruled a homicide. A judge Thursday ordered Earhart held in the Snohomish County Jail on $1 million bail. Details of the investigation were released in an affidavit filed Thursday in Everett District Court. It all started Monday morning when Earhart called 911 to report a break in at his home in the 22800 block of 37th Avenue NE near Arlington, Hover said. According to the police affidavit, Earhart received an alert on his cell phone triggered by his house alarm. He rushed home, saw a man running out, and gave chase but lost him. He called police. Earhart told deputies that some of his wife's jewelry was missing and that someone tried to pry open his gun locker, the court document said. He also said he'd been burglarized before and was frustrated by the crimes. Sheriff's deputies searched the area and deployed a police dog but were unsuccessful in finding the burglar. A few hours later, Earhart again called 911. Deputies found him in a rural area not far from his home. He told deputies he was looking for the burglar, and spotted a man in a ditch who looked like him. Earhart told them he yelled at the man, who then ran off across the field. Deputies again were unable to find anyone matching the description, Hover said. A neighbor later told detectives she'd heard about three popping sounds that afternoon and saw a man standing near her home with a gun, the court document said. Another witness said he saw a man with a gun and heard him yell “Stop” at another man, who ran away. There were two gunshots, the witness told police. The man with the gun did not appear to be threatened by the fleeing man, the witness said. “Did you see that, that guy just tried robbing my house,” the man with the gun said, according to the court documents. The man with the gun said he fired warning shots at the burglar. On Wednesday morning, a neighbor called 911 to report finding a man's body in a creek bed, near where the shots were heard Monday. The body was found a short distance from Earhart's home. Rzechula has a criminal history that includes a felony conviction. He had jewelry in his pockets that matched what had been taken from Earhart's home. The police affidavit does not say whether any weapons were found on him. Rzechula called a friend Monday afternoon, saying he'd been caught stealing and was hiding from police, the court document said. The friend didn't hear from Rzechula again. Detectives on Monday called Earhart, who agreed to meet them. When Earhart arrived, he already knew police were investigating the body, the court document said. “He said he knew he was involved in our case,” a detective wrote in his report. “He requested an attorney.” Earhart has no criminal history in the state, according to court records. He has been a previous victim of burglary and theft, records showed. He also has a concealed-weapons permit and is the registered owner of a .22-caliber Ruger. Earhart resigned from a job with the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians in September, the tribe’s acting executive director Eric White said. * Earhart was arrested late Wednesday and booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of second-degree murder. Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com. *Correction, Nov. 20, 2009: This article originally misreported Earhart's employment status. |
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