Moses Lake man pleads not guilty to murdering grandfather
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 5 months AGO
A Moses Lake man has been arraigned on charges of second-degree murder after his grandfather was found in a shallow grave. Bail for Isaiah J. Thomas, 27, of Moses Lake has been set at $750,000.
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Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | November 21, 2024 3:00 AM
EPHRATA — A Moses Lake man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder (domestic violence) in the killing of his grandfather in Moses Lake.
Isaiah J. Thomas, 27, is charged in connection with the murder of Richard Andrews, 75, Moses Lake. Andrews’s body was discovered in a shallow grave behind his shop on Stanley Road on Nov. 3.
According to a statement filed by the Moses Lake Police Department, Andrews had been missing about a day and a half before his body was discovered. Family members became concerned when they couldn’t find him. They had also received reports about Thomas that concerned them, the statement said.
Family members went to Andrews’s residence on North Dale Street, the statement said; Andrews was not at the house, but some personal items were, things that he normally took with him when he left. Thomas told family members he didn’t know the whereabouts of his grandfather, according to court records.
The report said family members were already concerned about Thomas, who they told investigators was struggling with mental health issues. His appearance caused additional concern, it said.
Family members then went to Andrews’s shop, where they found what they thought might be a grave. Andrews’s body was exhumed from the grave the next day, according to the statement. The statement said that evidence found at the house was consistent with human blood.
Thomas is being held in the Grant County Jail on $750,000 bail. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Dec. 3, according to Grant County Superior Court records.
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