A Washington State Fire Department battalion chief is being charged with murder.
In January of last year, the chief phoned 911 to report his wife having a seizure.
Kevin West, 49, of Washougal, was having an affair and intended to leave his wife on the day she was slain, based on an affidavit of probable cause.
Two weeks after his wife’s death on January 23, cops reportedly showed up to ask West about her death. He was having beers with his girlfriend at the time.
West was charged with first-degree murder on Friday. A $1.5 million bail has been imposed for his release. He hasn’t made a plea yet.
The cheating fire chief called 911 in the wee hours of January 8th to report that his wife was having a seizure and had stopped breathing. He started doing CPR right away, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
Responding quickly were medics and officers from the Camas-Washougal Fire Department, West served for 22 years, and the Washougal Police Department.
The sheriff’s office said that despite their best attempts, the medics were unable to bring her back to consciousness.
According to the sheriff’s office, several people contacted the local authorities after Marcy West passed away, expressing worries about the circumstances surrounding her death.
Marcy West’s neck seemed to have been traumatized, and the sheriff’s office quickly opened a criminal inquiry.
To avoid conflicts of interest, the Washougal Police Department asked the Clark County Sheriff’s Office to take over the investigation.
According to the sheriff’s office report, the investigators discovered that Kevin and Marcy were having marital and financial problems. After interviewing Kevin and reviewing the evidence at the residence and on Kevin and Marcy’s cellphones, Kevin gave investigators contradicting accounts.
On March 20, the medical examiner concluded that Marcy West died from suffocation after physical trauma to the neck. Murder was the reason for the death.
In court documents, Walker said that when asked about a woman’s name, he freely admitted to having an affair. Officers discovered two love letters sent by West to his girlfriend in his garage, as per the affidavit.
April 9 is when West is scheduled to appear in court again.
