CHEHALIS, Wash. (AP) — A second autopsy has been performed in the case of a 16-year-old Randle boy who prosecutors say was murdered, but the defense attorney who requested it is withholding the results.
The Chronicle newspaper of Centralia reports that the second autopsy on Ben Eastman III was performed by a private pathologist at the request of a lawyer for one of the two brothers charged with killing him. Attorney Shane O’Rourke said he made the request in due diligence, not because he necessarily believed the first was inaccurate.
O’Rourke told The Associated Press on Thursday he’s declining to disclose the results for now.
Eastman was reported missing June 27. His body was found the next day in a shallow grave on property owned by the brothers’ relatives.
The first autopsy, by the Lewis County coroner, concluded Eastman died of blunt-force trauma to the head and that his death was a homicide.
O’Rourke is representing 16-year-old Benito S. Marquez, who is charged along with his 21-year-old brother, Jonathan R. Adamson, with first-degree murder, rape, tampering with evidence and unlawful disposal of remains.
According to investigators, Adamson and Marquez admitted to planning to assault Eastman and “lured him to a wooded area under the guise of a camping trip.” The suspects then proceeded to kick Eastman for 20 to 45 minutes, kicking him at least 100 times and raping him with a stick.
Both Adamson and Marquez have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The boys’ mother, Kindra Adamson, pleaded guilty last week to rendering criminal assistance. Authorities said she delayed the investigation while the boys fled to Eastern Washington, where they were found and arrested by the Washington State Patrol.
As part of her plea agreement, Adamson could testify against her sons.
Adamson and Marquez both have trial confirmation hearings scheduled in October.
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Information from: The Chronicle, http://www.chronline.com