Jonathon Adamson talks with Detective Kevin Engelbertson near the site where he and his brother, Benito Marquez, were accused of killing Randle teen Benjamin Eastman III.
Just as it looked like the seven criminal cases filed in the killing of a Randle teen in June 2018 were about to wrap up, one of three suspects charged with murder in the case is looking to walk back an admission of guilt.
Jonathon Adamson, then 21, pleaded guilty in July 2019 to first-degree murder, first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping in Eastman’s death, and pleaded guilty to an additional two counts of witness tampering dating to February 2019.
He is currently scheduled to be sentenced at 1 p.m. March 11 in Lewis County Superior Court, but Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer said he’s not sure that hearing will go forward as planned.
“Jonathon Adamson now has a new attorney and has indicated he may want to withdraw his guilty plea,” he said Tuesday.
Adamson submitted a handwritten letter to the court on Jan. 13, declaring that he intended to withdraw his guilty plea, saying his attorney did not adequately explain the terms of the plea deal.
Adamson, his brother Benito Marquez and a friend, Michael Salazar, were all charged with first-degree murder in the death of 16-year-old Benjamin Eastman, III, in June 2018. Adamson and Marquez were accused of luring Eastman into the woods by telling him they wanted to go camping, then brutally beating him to death, then burying him in a shallow grave. They later dug up his body and moved it when they were concerned about being caught.
Marquez also pleaded guilty. Salazar is accused of causing Eastman’s murder by physically restraining a third party from reporting their plans. He is scheduled to enter a guilty plea on March 4.
Adamson’s plea agreement included an agreed-upon sentence of 510 months, or 42 and a half years to life in prison, provided he meet requirements set by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, including providing a full and accurate account of Eastman’s death. The Chronicle reported the terms of the deal when he pleaded guilty in 2019.
“It is my understanding that the courts can sentence me to life and I did not agree to that,” Adamson wrote. “If that is the case then I want my trial.”
Adamson also said he no longer wanted to be represented by his court-appointed attorney, Don Blair.
“Time and again he has proven himself to be ineffective assistance of counsel. I have various reasons for believing so. The matter mentioned above is one of them,” Adamson wrote.
Attorney Erik Kupka has been assigned to represent Adamson going forward. A hearing has not yet been scheduled on a formal withdrawal of Adamson’s plea.
If Adamson’s sentencing is delayed, three other scheduled sentencing hearings in the other cases will be as well, Meyer said.
Marquez, then 17, pleaded guilty on Feb. 22, 2019 to charges including first-degree murder and first-degree rape. His plea agreement will allow him to withdraw his guilty pleas to all but the first-degree murder charge and be sentenced on that charge alone if he meets conditions set by the prosecutor’s office. He is also scheduled to be sentenced at 1 p.m. March 11.
Salazar, the third suspect charged with murder in Eastman’s death, is scheduled to enter a guilty plea on March 4. Meyer said he does not suspect that hearing to be delayed by Adamson’s actions.
Emma Brown, Adamson’s fiance at the time of the homicide, pleaded guilty to third-degree rendering criminal assistance and making a false statement to police and was sentenced to 90 days suspended.
Kindra Adamson, Marquez and Jonathon Adamson’s mother, has pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree rendering criminal assistance and is currently scheduled to be sentenced on March 11 as well.
Amanda Hagerty, Salazar’s mother, is scheduled to go to trial later this month on charges of first-degree rendering criminal assistance and witness tampering.
Jerald Thompson, Jonathon Adamson’s brother, is also scheduled to go to trial later this month on a witness tampering charge.
