Officer: Spray tried to flee during arrest

COLFAX — A Pullman Police Department officer said Jacob Spray tried to flee during his arrest for an alleged murder in town last March.

The Pullman man’s trial continued for a third day Wednesday at Whitman County Superior Court. A jury of 15 Whitman County residents heard testimonies from local law enforcement and first responders who recounted moments from the day 25-year-old Jamie Wilson-Spray died.

Sgt. Alex Gordon relayed an interview he and other authorities conducted before apprehending 37-year-old Jacob Spray. Body camera footage presented in court shows the conversation that happened on Spray’s front porch, concluded abruptly with him backing into his residence without officer permission.

Gordon began his shift early when notified that a woman was found dead at Sevdy’s Modern View Mobile Court on Fisk Street in Pullman. It was there he learned the local dispatching agency, Whitcom 911, received a call from Randy Spray, Jacob Spray’s father, confessing his son committed a murder.

Officer Doug Anderson told Gordon he was in contact with the victim’s estranged husband, Spray, who agreed to meet with authorities at his apartment on Turner Drive.

Gordon testified Spray seemed intoxicated during their conversation. The shown body camera video portrayed him holding a can of beer he said was from Cougs Corner Mart, which he visited after work. Spray also said the convenience store was the only place he stopped by after his shift ended in Moscow.

In the footage, Spray expressed concern for Wilson-Spray and was confused why officers were contacting him. He asked police if she had been arrested, or was in the hospital for possibly overdosing. He also said the propane reader in her trailer was broken, and questioned if she had carbon monoxide poisoning.

His speculations were unprompted by officers, who said they were trying to locate her and get a better picture of what’s going on.

Spray said in the tape he last saw Wilson-Spray the night before when he dropped off food. He added they met outside her residence and she seemed fine.

He spoke to their relationship in the video, saying they were separated because she wanted a divorce. He mentioned they were still friends, talked everyday and ended every phone call with “I love you.”

Spray admitted in the footage to calling his father earlier that evening, but only to ask him how bailing someone out of jail works in case Wilson-Spray was arrested.

When officers told Spray they received a call from his dad, the video ended with him fleeing into his residence. Gordon said police followed Spray and arrested him shortly after.

Pullman Fire Department Lead Paramedic Christian Schad testified about efforts to resuscitate Wilson-Spray the night she was found. Schad was the first arriving EMT on scene and was in charge of her care.

Schad said he began checking for a pulse and found none, and he checked if she was breathing but she was not. He also shined a light into Wilson-Spray’s eyes and saw her pupils moved sluggishly. He said this meant her eyes hadn’t received blood flow in a while and were not reacting properly.

Schad said Wilson-Spray showed no signs of life, but medical technicians tried to revive her anyway. The team moved her outside the trailer because he said the space was too small to perform CPR. They attempted to resuscitate her for 30 minutes, but he said their efforts were unsuccessful.

He observed bruises on Wilson-Spray’s sternum and clavicle, as well as marks and scratches on her neck. Chief Deputy Prosecutor Dan LeBeau asked if any revival attempts could have caused her injuries. Schad said CPR compressions may have caused damage on her chest, but confirmed nothing paramedics did would have affected her throat.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.