Pullman man’s murder trial begins

COLFAX — While the prosecution argues Jacob Spray murdered his estranged wife in Pullman last March, the defense contends he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The second day of the Pullman man’s two-week jury trial began Tuesday with opening statements and witness testimonies at Whitman County Superior Court. Monday was dedicated to selecting a jury of 15 Whitman County residents who will ultimately choose whether or not to convict 37-year-old Jacob Spray of first-degree murder and first-degree rape.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Dan LeBeau said in court Spray and the victim, 25-year-old Jamie Wilson-Spray, were married for seven years, but their relationship was coming to an end when she began the process of divorcing him on Valentine’s Day last year. She moved out of their shared residence on Turner Drive and into a trailer at Pullman’s Svedy’s Modern View Mobile Court on Fisk Street.

Spray was unsettled by this news, LeBeau said, and became increasingly upset after learning she had met someone on a dating app the night before her death.

LeBeau claims Spray “didn’t like” what he had heard, left work early to confront Wilson-Spray and chose to rape and kill her.

Whitman County Public Defender Steve Martonick asserts that Wilson-Spray had been cheating on Spray and told him about a date she had. He went to her home the day she died to “prove himself” and get her back. Screams neighbors heard that night, he argued, were “screams of enjoyment” from a sexual encounter.

He contends Wilson-Spray had been sexually assaulted and murdered by two unidentified men after Spray left the residence. He added an autopsy found two DNA samples not linked to Spray or her date, and law enforcement never found the source of DNA.

Jessica Schneider, Wilson-Spray’s sister, testified that her sister was unhappy in the marriage and made up her mind the relationship was over. She saw Wilson-Spray in person the day before she died and had a video call hours before the incident, where she observed no injuries on her body.

Schneider was aware of Wilson-Spray’s date and said the man she dated was the only person she was intimate with after the separation. Schneider added Wilson-Spray told Spray about the fling, and recounted that he was upset with her.

Melissa Berry, Women’s and Children’s Free Restaurant employee in Spokane, testified she conducted a phone interview with Wilson-Spray the evening she died. During their conversation, she heard a loud, long scream with an “element of terror” before the line was disconnected.

She reported it to a Spokane dispatching agency where the audio presented in court showed her say she heard Wilson-Spray “screaming like they were being attacked.” Berry was also connected with Whitcom 911, a local dispatching agency, and that call sent Pullman police officers to check on Wilson-Spray.

Direct neighbors Paula Franko and Daniel Gregory said in court they saw what looked like Spray’s vehicle parked at the trailer the evening Wilson-Spray died. Domino’s Pizza delivery driver Matthew Siu testified he saw an upset Spray at the home at the same time.

Franko said she heard a scream and pounding noise coming from Wilson-Spray’s trailer around then.

Pullman Police Department officers Doug Anderson and Ryan McNannay testified they were the first on scene to perform a wellness check. Anderson’s body camera video shown in court revealed they entered the trailer by grabbing keys through an unlocked window, and found a stovetop burner turned up, smoke in the residence and an unresponsive Wilson-Spray on the bed.

They said Wilson-Spray didn’t appear to be alive and wasn’t breathing. Anderson said she had several injuries and “scratches on her neck like someone choked her.” He added EMTs looked for signs of life, took her out of the home to perform CPR and pronounced her dead at the scene.

An hour after trying to reach Spray, Anderson received texts and phone calls that were presented in court. Spray said he was still working in Moscow and was on his way to Pullman, and was concerned about Wilson-Spray.

Randy Spray, Jacob Spray’s father, testified he received a few calls from his son the day of Wilson-Spray’s death. While Spray was at work, he told his father about Wilson-Spray’s date and seemed very upset.

Randy got a call from Spray while at a Coeur d’Alene casino that evening. He said Jacob told him he killed Wilson-Spray. When asked by Martonick if he may have said he “thought” he killed Wilson-Spray, Randy confirmed Spray said he killed her in a “deadpan” tone twice.

Randy called Whitcom dispatchers and said his son shot his wife, and admitted in court he assumed it a shooting because he knew they both owned handguns. Randy also said he gave Wilson-Spray a pistol for her protection.

Randy also noted he never saw Spray and Wilson-Spray fight and they were friendly toward each other after the separation. He added Wilson-Spray would occasionally use the stove to warm the trailer because the furnace was broken.

Court concluded Tuesday after Sandy Spray, Jacob Spray’s mother, gave testimony that her son put a camera in Wilson-Spray’s trailer after the separation. She said Spray had made her aware of Wilson-Spray’s date, and she told him to move on.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.