Suspects in second killing

  • By Rikki King and Diana Hefley Herald Writers
  • Thursday, October 6, 2011 4:14pm
  • Local NewsEverett

An Oregon ex-convict and his girlfriend with suspected ties to white supremacist groups were jailed Thursday in connection with a multi-state crime spree that began in Snohomish County and left two people dead and one missing.

Officers along the West Coast had been hunting David Joseph Pedersen and Holly Ann Grigsby for a week. The pair are suspects in the slaying of Leslie Pedersen, 69. The Everett woman was fatally stabbed.

Her husband and the male suspect’s father, David “Red” Pedersen, remains missing. The captured fugitives are suspected in the man’s disappearance, police wrote in search warrants filed Thursday.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Oregon officials on Thursday also confirmed that the two are suspects in the killing of an Oregon teenager who was reported missing Sunday.

An autopsy concluded that Cody Myers, 19, was fatally shot, according to the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office. Myers, of Lafayette, Ore., was shot in the head and chest. Investigators declined to say how many times. The teen never returned home from a trip to Newport, Ore.

Pedersen, 31, and Grigsby, 24, were driving Myers’ car when they were stopped Wednesday by California Highway Patrol officers north of Sacramento. Police found three loaded guns in the car, including a handgun at Grigsby’s feet.

Court records and family statements show the two suspects claim ties to white supremacy groups. Pedersen has a history of violent crime and served time in federal prison for threatening to murder the judge who presided over the trial of Randy Weaver.

Weaver was an Idaho white supremacist whose 1992 standoff with federal marshals ended in the deaths of his wife, his son and a U.S. marshal. Weaver’s case remains a flash point for antigovernment groups and white supremacists.

Pedersen and Grigsby were being held Thursday at the Yuba County Jail in California. Yuba County District Attorney Pat McGrath said they will be arraigned Friday on weapons and car-theft charges in California, followed by fugitive complaints from Washington and Oregon.

Pedersen and Grigsby then will be given the option to waive or fight their extradition.

Everett police have probable cause to arrest the two for the death of Leslie Pedersen.

Her husband, Red Pedersen, hasn’t been heard from or seen since Sept. 26. Witnesses told police that the suspects had visited the Pedersens at their Everett mobile home the weekend before Leslie Pedersen’s body was discovered.

Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz said Thursday afternoon that detectives continue to search for Red Pedersen and his Jeep. Investigators believe the Jeep was driven to Oregon and abandoned there.

“We’re following leads we have as a result of our investigation,” Goetz said. “Most of the focus is down in Oregon.”

Snohomish County prosecutors are in touch with Everett detectives, Snohomish County chief criminal deputy prosecutor Joan Cavagnaro said.

“We haven’t heard plans to bring them to Washington yet,” she said.

More search warrants were filed Thursday afternoon in Snohomish County Superior Court. The warrants detail how investigators had been tracking activity on Leslie Pedersen’s stolen credit cards. The cards were used at bank machines and small stores and gas stations. Police obtained video from these businesses and saw the suspects using the stolen bank and credit cards, police wrote. Red Pedersen was not observed in any of the videos, according to the search warrant.

A Corvallis, Ore., parks employee on Sept. 29 found a backpack in a garbage can in Central Park. Inside were four cards that belonged to Leslie and Red Pedersen. Corvallis Police weren’t aware of the Everett homicide until Tuesday when they received a police bulletin.

Grigsby is suspected of trying to use Leslie Pedersen’s Sears MasterCard Sunday to pay for gas and groceries at Peterson’s Petroleum in Salem, Ore. The clerk became suspicious because the woman spent a long time in the store, police wrote. The clerk asked to see the woman’s identification. The woman fled the store and left behind Pedersen’s credit car. The clerk took down the license plate of the car, unaware that the Plymouth belonged to an Oregon teenager who was reported missing that same day.

Police with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office took a report of the incident. That information eventually connected the suspects to Myers’ disappearance. The teen’s body was discovered Tuesday evening.

The male suspect, David “Joey” Pedersen, spent most of the past 14 years in prison, records show. As a teenager, he began a six-year stint in Oregon for robbery.

While in prison in Oregon in February 2000, Pedersen sent U.S. District Court Judge Edward Lodge a letter threatening to kill the judge once he got out. Investigators believed multiple other inmates were involved in the threats.

Dave Meyer, who now runs judicial security for the U.S. Marshals Service District of Idaho, worked the case alongside FBI Agent Mary Martin, he said. Meyer declined to describe the contents of Pedersens’ letter, but he did say that it clearly referenced the Weaver case.

“Basically, his connection to Judge Lodge was that Mr. Pedersen claimed to be part of an Aryan organization, and Judge Lodge was the judge in Randy Weaver’s case, and that’s what he claimed the connection was,” Meyer said Thursday.

Pedersen pleaded guilty in October 2001 to threatening to assault and murder a federal judge and to mailing threatening communication. He was sentenced to two years.

He also was ordered to have no contact with past or present members of the white supremacist Aryan Death Squad gang or any other organized gang.

In December of 2007, Pedersen was returned to prison in Oregon. He remained locked up there until May 24 of this year, Oregon corrections spokeswoman Tonya Sly said.

Pedersen’s Oregon state prison records show that, over the years, he racked up nearly 70 disciplinary infractions. Many of those offenses were for assault, destruction of property, disobedience and harassment based on race, religion or sex.

In recent photos, Pedersen sports an array of “white power”-themed tattoos, including “SWP” emblazoned across his throat. SWP often stands for “Supreme White Power” among hate groups.

He also is a mixed martial arts fighter who has been defeated in each of his three professional bouts.

Grigsby has a criminal record of her own.

She served time in state prison for multiple identity-theft convictions. Her prison misbehavior included assaults and disobeying orders.

Grigsby’s father, Fred Grigsby, told the Associated Press that his daughter has a history of drug problems and had been involved with white supremacists.

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Cars drive along Cathcart Way next to the site of the proposed Eastview Village development that borders Little Cedars Elementary on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 in unincorporated Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Former engineer: Snohomish County rushed plans for Eastview development

David Irwin cited red flags from the developers. After he resigned, the county approved the development that’s now stalled with an appeal

Outside of the Madrona School on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Sewer district notifies Edmonds schools of intent to sue

The letter of intent alleges the school district has failed to address long-standing “water pollution issues” at Madrona K-8 School.

Everett
Man stabbed in face outside Everett IHOP, may lose eye

Police say the suspect fled in the victim’s car, leading officers on a 6-mile chase before his arrest.

A person walks up 20th Street Southeast to look at the damage that closed the road on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
WA delegation urges Trump to reconsider request for bomb cyclone aid

The Washington state congressional delegation urged President Donald Trump on… Continue reading

Aaron Weinstock uses an x-ray machine toy inside the Imagine Children Museum on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Imagine Children’s Museum $250k grant reinstated following federal court order

The federal grant supports a program that brings free science lessons to children throughout rural Snohomish County.

Snohomish County 911 Executive Director Kurt Mills talks about the improvements made in the new call center space during a tour of the building on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New 911 center in Everett built to survive disaster

The $67.5 million facility brings all emergency staff under one roof with seismic upgrades, wellness features and space to expand.

Everett
Five arrested in connection with Everett toddler’s 2024 overdose death

More than a year after 13-month-old died, Everett police make arrests in overdose case.

Madison Family Shelter Family Support Specialist Dan Blizard talks about one of the pallet homes on Monday, May 19, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Madison Family Shelter reopens after hiatus

The Pallet shelter village, formerly Faith Family Village, provides housing for up to eight families for 90 days.

(City of Everett)
Everett’s possible new stadium has a possible price tag

City staff said a stadium could be built for $82 million, lower than previous estimates. Bonds and private investment would pay for most of it.

Jennifer Humelo, right, hugs Art Cass outside of Full Life Care Snohomish County on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘I’ll lose everything’: Snohomish County’s only adult day health center to close

Full Life Care in Everett, which supports adults with disabilities, will shut its doors July 19 due to state funding challenges.

A member of the Sheriff's office works around evidence as investigators work the scene on 20th Street SE near Route 9 after police shot and killed a man suspected in a car theft on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Family of Lake Stevens man shot by police sues over mental health care delays

Lawsuit says state failed to evaluate James Blancocotto before he was shot fleeing in a patrol car.

The age of bridge 503 that spans Swamp Creek can be seen in its timber supports and metal pipes on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Lynnwood, Washington. The bridge is set to be replaced by the county in 2025. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Snohomish County report: 10 bridges set for repairs, replacement

An annual report the county released May 22 details the condition of local bridges and future maintenance they may require.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.