Second arrest in 2005 Marysville killing

Published 11:19 pm Thursday, May 1, 2008

MARYSVILLE — Three years after a Marysville police officer found a man fatally stabbed in an abandoned home, police have made a second arrest in the case less than a month after the first arrest.

On Wednesday, Matthew R. Hedgcoth, 21, of Marysville was jailed for investigation of second-degree murder. A judge on Thursday ordered him held on $1 million bail.

Police are pleased the investigation is moving forward.

“An unsolved homicide is something that is unacceptable,” Marysville police Cmdr. Ralph Krusey said.

The case dates to April 13, 2005, when police found Charles Hughley, 39, dead in a home in the 100 block of Beach Avenue. It was a house where transients often slept.

Hughley had multiple stab wounds, according to court papers.

At the time of the killing, police interviewed Hedgcoth numerous times. He denied involvement, court papers said.

On Tuesday, police interviewed Hedgcoth again and detectives told the man he had failed a polygraph test. He agreed to talk to police again Wednesday.

That’s when Hedgcoth, a convicted felon, allegedly changed his story and told police he punched Hughley but didn’t stab him, court documents said.

After Hedgcoth was arrested Wednesday, he told police he and others attacked Hughley in retaliation for an assault when Hedgcoth was 18. He claimed three others participated in the attack on Hughley.

The investigation over the years led to many dead ends, Krusey said. In March, the case was transferred to new detectives. They reviewed the evidence and expanded the investigation.

“We make every effort that we can to follow up on every single lead we get on a homicide,” Krusey said. “Even though it takes time, it’s something we recognize and something we do.”

On April 9, police arrested a 26-year-old transient who was accused of being present during the killing and allegedly helped dispose of evidence, said Krusey. That man was booked for investigation of rendering criminal assistance and later released on bail, Krusey said.

A second man, who police believe may be connected to the stabbing, already is in prison for a different crime. Police don’t believe a third man, who remains at large, is a risk to the community.

Hughley had just returned to Marysville to reconnect with his family, his sister Amy Hughley told The Herald in 2005.

The youngest of four, Charles Hughley had been close to his parents, and their deaths in 2003 hit him hard, Amy Hughley said. He began to drink heavily and left the Marysville area. He returned shortly before his death and contacted family.

“We have an obligation to the victim and to their families to resolve a homicide,” Krusey said.

Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.