Suspect in Pullman cold case appears in court

The 47-year-old man charged Thursday for a series of home invasions and sexual assaults which occurred nearly two decades ago appeared in Whitman County Superior Court on Friday morning where his bond was set at $5 million or a $500,000 cash bail.

Kenneth Downing, of Elk, Wash., was arrested Thursday in Spokane by the Spokane Police Department at the request of the Pullman Police Department, who used DNA evidence collected at the scene of the crimes in 2003 and 2004 to later identify a link between Downing.

Whitman County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Dan LeBeau congratulated the officers of the Pullman Police Department for their work on the case.

“They never gave up,” LeBeau said. “I look forward to proving this case in court and bringing justice to the victims of these violent crimes.”

Downing was charged with four counts of first-degree rape, one count of indecent liberties, two counts of first-degree burglary, three counts of second-degree assault and three counts of unlawful imprisonment with sexual motivation, all felonies. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

To match Downing with the DNA profile created for the suspect, police used a type of testing made possible with funding from the Washington State Attorney General’s Office called forensic genetic genealogy.

In a courtroom Friday morning, LeBeau called the crimes “very serious, very dangerous and very violent.”

One Pullman woman reported a burglary in November 2003 where she was raped three times while held at gunpoint in her home. Two other Pullman women reported a burglary in their home in March 2004 during which one of the women was raped and the other was assaulted. No suspects were identified at the time.

The three victims were notified of Downing’s arrest, according to Pullman Police Sgt. Aaron Breshears, who responded to the first attack in 2003 when he was a patrol officer.

Citing Downing as a substantial danger to the community, Whitman County Superior Court Judge Gary Libey imposed a $5 million bond or a $500,000 cash bail. Libey added that Downing poses a significant flight risk. According to court documents, he has no criminal history.

Downing’s arraignment is currently set for March 25 at 9:30 a.m.

Palermo can be reached at apalermo@dnews.com or on Twitter @apalermotweets.