A Washington man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his grandparents so he could start a commune on their beachfront property – only to later burn down their home in an attempt to destroy the evidence.
Ezra Fleming Ralston, 29, was convicted by a grand jury of two counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree arson last June and was sentenced Wednesday.
Prosecutors described how Ralston — who lives with his grandparents, Joanna Gormley, 73, and Ted Ralston, 71 — conspired with his girlfriend and two others to kill the couple and take over their home on the Key Peninsula, near Tacoma, in May 2020.
“Throughout our investigation, our detectives determined that the victim’s surviving grandson and several friends planned to kill his grandparents so they could establish some type of commune in the victim’s beach area in Vaughn,” according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
Also convicted in the plot were Sean Higgins, 26, who was also sentenced to life in prison; Spencer Kleine, 26, who was sentenced to 45 years; and Ralston’s girlfriend, Rebecka Neubauer, 25, who was sentenced to 33 years and four months in prison.
The elderly couple’s neighbor called the fire department on the night of May 17, 2020, after hearing several loud explosions coming from the house, according to an affidavit obtained by Law & Crime.
Ted Ralston, 71, and Jonna Gormley, 73, were found dead in the basement of their home on May 17, 2020. Pierce County Sheriff’s Office
Firefighters found Gormley and the older Ralston dead in the basement, lying side by side. Their bodies were found in suspicious positions, as if they “had been dragged down the stairs,” authorities said.
An autopsy later revealed that both had been stabbed to death, with Gormley suffering multiple stab wounds to her neck and her husband with a stab wound to his chest.
Crews also found evidence that the fire was intentionally set — five gas canisters were found in the kitchen and a propane tank in the home exploded. Detectives found another gas can in Ezra’s car during their investigation.
Investigators said they also received a call from Ezra Ralston’s mother who said her son was “not mentally well” and wanted detectives to track him down.
Gormley and the older Ralston’s bodies were found in the basement in suspicious positions, as if they had “been dragged down the stairs,” authorities said. Fire Peninsula Utama
Ralston’s father also claimed his son had called him earlier in the night to say his grandparents had a fever and sore throat and might have been infected with COVID.
In a series of text messages, Ralson claimed to his father that his grandparents were in the hospital in stable condition — but police later determined that was a lie to cover up what he had done, according to FOX 13.
Officers eventually brought Neubauer in for questioning, and he admitted that he and Ralston had talked several times about killing his grandparents so they could live in the beach house.
He said he was “tired of” his grandparents, and they had ongoing discussions about starting a “commune” at home.
Text exchanges between the two, the affidavit said, laid out their nefarious plans.
Ralston and his friends had discussed building a commune on the property, the affidavit said. FOX 13 Seattle
“Just prior to the murder, defendant Ralston expressed concern about the fact that his grandparents were awake, making it difficult to proceed with the plan to commit the murder,” the affidavit said.
“Defendant Neubauer gave her specific advice on how to proceed in order to avoid informing her grandparents. Neubauer also repeatedly encouraged Ralston in an exchange of messages whenever Ralston expressed his frustration and stress about committing the murder, telling him how much he loved him and telling him ‘You’re awesome, you got this.’”
After committing the murder, the text shows, Ezra suggests using bleach to cover up the crime because the house starts to smell like a “science experiment with dead frogs.”
The elder Gormley and Ralston were remembered as pillars of their community, with a memorial held for them just days later with mourners drinking Ralston’s favorite drink — single malt scotch.
A larger memorial service was held a year later.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
