Brother of Confessed Randle Murderers Charged with Witness Tampering

The older brother of Jonathon Adamson and Benito Marquez — the pair who pleaded guilty to murder in the death last year of Randle teen Benjamin Eastman III — was charged late last month with witness tampering for allegedly relaying information between the two brothers while they were incarcerated in the Lewis County Jail.

Jerald Thompson, 24, of Mabton was charged with a single count of tampering with a witness. He was placed on unsecured bail, meaning he will remain out of custody throughout the case as long as he abides by certain conditions of release.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Adamson contacted Thompson multiple times on Feb. 20, 2019, with hopes of telling his older brother to tell Marquez not to plead guilty to the charges against him nor testify against him.

Thompson allegedly talked with Marquez the next day, telling him not to take a plea deal.

“(Thompson) then reported back to his brother (Jonathon) and informed him of the conversation and that Marquez was not going to plead guilty,” read court documents.

Marquez pleaded guilty the next day, with one of the conditions of his plea deal being he would serve as a state witness against any other defendant charged in connection to Eastman’s death — including Adamson.

Adamson was expected to plead guilty that same day, but instructed his attorney, Don Blair, the morning of the hearing and told him he wouldn’t be following through with the plea deal.

Additional charges were filed against him the next week — including two counts of tampering with a witness in connection with him trying to get messages to Marquez through third parties. Adamson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder July 3.

The charge was filed against Thompson July 24, and a summons was sent to his address Aug. 5.

Thompson appeared out of custody to a hearing in Lewis County Superior Court Tuesday afternoon, where Judge Andrew Toynbee imposed $10,000 unsecured bail, in tune with a request from Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer, who commented that Thompson was being cooperative.

He has an arraignment hearing set for Aug. 22.