2 men charged in connection with murders of mother of 5, man in Maple Valley

MAPLE VALLEY, Wash. - Update: Feb. 28

Gerner was arraigned for both murders. The court tried to arraign him for the murder of the horse, but a final decision has not been made on that yet. Jones was arraigned for disposing of/moving bodies. A judge reduced bail from $1 million to $20,000. 

Previous reporting: Feb 15

Two men are now charged in connection with the murders of Robert Leroy Riley and Ashley Nicole Williams. Their bodies were dumped in bushes and buried under trash in Maple Valley. 

Investigators say they're all part of the White Supremacist Prison Gangs in Washington Prisons. Documents say one of them is actually the founder of the Omerta White Supremacist Prison Gangs.

FOX 13 previously spoke with Deanna Power, a friend of Williams, who said "the cops could tell from where she was lying and now that we know both of them were there we know that's not where they died."

>> Authorities identify 2 bodies found in Maple Valley, investigating as homicide

The deaths of Williams, a mother of five and Riley, 57, are no longer a mystery. Court documents detail their violent killings in November after their bodies were loaded into the back of a pickup, dumped and found in bushes a few days later. 

Brandon Gerner, 40, and Joshua Jones, 34. have been charged with their murders. 

Joshua Jones (left) and Brandon Gerner (right).

Gerner allegedly worked on the property where RIley lived. Detectives say he admitted to being on the property the night of the murders, saying Riley confronted them and allegedly pointed a gun at Gerner’s head asking them to leave.  That’s when a third man named Kody Olsen, shot and killed him. 

According to an informant, Olsen told them Gerner shot and killed Robert when a drug deal had "gone bad" and they "had to kill Williams because she was a witness to the shooting." The men also shot a dog on the property loaded on the bed of the truck and dumped it in an industrial part of Renton.

Docs say the mother was stabbed more than 20 times and was shot in the neck and torso.  The docs also state that Olsen admitted to shooting her because the knife Gerner was using had broken, and she was suffering. 

Olsen wasn't charged in the murders because he was dead.  

He was shot by officers on Dec. 12 after he fired at and wounded two Pierce County deputies during a DUI traffic stop and pursuit. 

He died four days later, and the killings continued. 

One day after Olsen’s death, a man called 911 reporting his horse was dead. A necropsy revealed the horse was shot in the face the bullet was lodged in its neck. Reports say it likely suffered before it died.

Gerner allegedly told informants he killed the horse as a sacrifice to Odin for Olsen’s death. 

Gerner was on Department of Corrections supervision after serving 22 years in prison for assault and burglary. He was released eight months before he killed WIlliams, Riley and the animals. 

As for Joshua Jones, documents say he was present for the murders but so far evidence doesn’t show he played a direct role in killing either victim – though he’s still charged. 

Prosecutors anticipate both to be arraigned later this month.

Both are currently in custody. 

This is a developing story.