Wash. husband and his friend arrested in alleged murder-for-hire plot to kill wife, stage as burglary

CLARK COUNTY, Wash. (TCD) — A man was taken into custody in Oregon after his friend allegedly asked him to help kill his wife and stage it as a burglary.

According to a news release from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, on March 23, shortly before 7 p.m., deputies responded to a home in the 18000 block of Northeast 119th Street, where they found a woman dead with apparent gunshot wounds. Deputies learned the woman was initially found by her husband and two friends.

The sheriff’s office asked the public’s assistance in locating a 2001 black Ford F-150 that had reportedly been stolen from the scene.

In an update, the sheriff’s office named the victim as 60-year-old Lindy Rummell, but the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office will officially positively identify her.

The sheriff’s office also announced in their update that police in Eugene, Oregon, arrested 55-year-old Darrell Riley. He remains held in Oregon on a temporary felony warrant for first-degree murder as he awaits extradition to Washington.

According to the sheriff’s office, officials recovered the stolen Ford F-150 from a rural area of Benton County, Oregon. Authorities said the vehicle had been damaged by a fire that was likely “intentionally set” to dispose of any evidence in Lindy Rummell’s slaying.

Further investigation revealed the victim’s husband, James Rummell, allegedly drove his friend, Riley, from Oregon back to Clark County the day before his wife’s fatal shooting. According to the sheriff’s office, officials believe James Rummell “may have solicited Darrell to stage what appeared to be an interrupted burglary to commit the murder of Lindy Rummell.”

Investigators conducted a second search warrant at James Rummell’s home and arrested him on a charge of making false statements to a public servant. Deputies said he is considered a suspect in his wife’s death, and additional charges are possible.

The investigation is ongoing.

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