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MAPLE VALLEY, Wash. - The trial for a man accused of murdering a mother of five and another man back in 2023 is underway in Kent.
Double murder suspect Brandon Gerner is on trial for the killings of Robert Leroy Riley and Ashley Nicole Williams, whose bodies were found dumped in bushes and buried under trash in Maple Valley.
Brandon Gerner appears in a Kent courtroom for his arraignment on Feb. 28, 2024. (FOX 13 Seattle)
The backstory:
Gerner and another man, Kody Olsen, had both allegedly admitted to involvement in the murders, but pointed fingers at who pulled the trigger when questioned by investigators. Court documents detailed Olsen's account, which claimed a drug deal that had "gone bad," resulting in Gerner shooting Riley and stabbing Williams over 20 times before Olsen shot her.
Olsen, however, was never arrested or charged in the investigation, as he was killed in a shootout with Pierce County deputies on Dec. 12, 2023.
The Pierce County Sheriff's Office recently released dramatic video of the encounter. Olsen shot two deputies during a DUI traffic stop and pursuit, one saved by his armored vest and the other suffering a graze wound. Olsen was shot and died four days later.
Olsen was allegedly part of a white supremacist prison gang that Gerner had founded. The two were reportedly good friends, and when Gerner found out about Olsen's death, he shot and killed a horse in Pierce County in retaliation. He told informants he killed the horse as a sacrifice to the Norse god Odin, court documents claim.
King County Sheriff's deputies discovered the bodies of Williams and Riley in Maple Valley on Nov. 16, 2023. Gerner wasn't charged in the murders until Feb. 14, 2024.
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2 arrested for Maple Valley double homicide
Two men are now charged in connection to the murders of Robert Leroy Riley and Ashley Nicole Williams. Their bodies were dumped in bushes and buried under trash in Maple Valley.
What's next:
Gerner's trial is expected to resume next week at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the Pierce County Sheriff's Office and previous FOX 13 Seattle reporting.