Randle Man Convicted of Murder, Rape of East Lewis County Teen Accused of Assaulting Corrections Officers

Jonathon Adamson, the Randle resident who pleaded guilty to murdering and raping an East Lewis County teen in 2018, found himself back in a courtroom Wednesday for a separate matter without ever leaving the Lewis County Jail.

Adamson, 23, made his preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court where he was charged with two counts of custodial assault based on allegations that he assaulted two corrections officers after they had confronted him about violating a jail policy.

In 2018, Adamson along with his brother Benito Marquez was among several individuals involved in the murder of Ben Eastman. It was alleged that the two lured Eastman into the woods in East Lewis County where they beat him to death. 

The two then fled to Eastern Washington, where they were arrested and have been in jail since June of 2018.

Adamson pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, second-degree kidnapping and two counts of witness tampering on July 3, 2019. He has yet to be sentenced on those charges and is still in custody at the jail.

The affidavit of probable cause gives the following account of the alleged assaults at the jail:

On Oct. 2, Adamson was assigned to pick up trays after meals in the Lewis County Jail but was found passing trays between inmates, a violation of the jail’s policy.

When confronted by a corrections officer about the passing out the trays, Adamson dropped all the trays he was carrying.

Adamson was subsequently asked to “roll up” his belongings because he was going to be removed from his cell. The affidavit does not specify where jail staff intended to take Adamson.

In response to the corrections officer, Adamson knocked several trays off of a table.

Based upon that, the corrections officer told Adamson that he was going to be removed from his cell without his belongings. Adamson refused.

A “scuffle” broke out after Adamson’s refusal to be removed from his cell. Adamson reportedly struck one corrections officer in the arm and ripped his glasses from his face and allegedly bit another corrections officer.

At Adamson’s preliminary appearance, Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer requested bail to be set at $25,000, noting that Adamson is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 23.

“Mr. Adamson is already being held for his convictions for murder, rape and witness tampering so I don’t know if we need bail here,” Meyer said. “However, he is scheduled to be sentenced on the 23rd of November, we anticipate going forward with that sentencing whether this matter is settled by then or not, so I would ask for some bail just to keep him here if that were the case.”

Adamson’s attorney for the day, Rachael Tiller, requested that bail be set at $10,000.

Superior Court Judge Andrew Toynbee sided with the state and set bail at $25,000.

Adamson is scheduled to enter a plea in the case  on Nov. 19.