Gov. Jay Inslee’s office has formally declined a request from Corey Christensen — brother of the Portland musician found dead alongside his dog near Walupt Lake south of Packwood in August 2022 — and his attorney to refer the case to the state Attorney General’s office for further investigation and possible prosecution.
The case has drawn controversy from the public as the primary suspect, Tenino resident Ethan M. Asbach, now 20 — whose sworn statement says he is “responsible” for the gunshot — has not yet seen prosecution.
Citing the errors of the Lewis County investigation, Corey Christensen and his attorney, Pilar C. French, of the Seattle-based law firm Lane Powell, sent a letter to Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer and Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday, May 25, asking “one or both of your offices to refer this matter immediately to the Washington Attorney General, Robert Ferguson, for further investigation and possible prosecution.”
The letter was written and sent independently of Aron Christensen’s estate, which has filed a $20 million claim against the county — a precursor to a likely lawsuit — in May alleging the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office “maliciously damaged the estate’s property, one deceased puppy, in order to sabotage a criminal investigation.”
Meyer replied to Lane Powell via email on May 26 to decline the request, stating, “There was no new information provided in the letter, nor in the attachments. This office will take no further action based upon the materials provided.”
The governor’s office followed suit in a letter dated July 6 and signed by Deputy General Counsel Taylor K. Wonhoff.
“The Governor’s Office has reviewed the materials you submitted and communicated with Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer to better understand the circumstances of this matter. We understand that this particular case presents evidentiary challenges, but it remains open and further investigation is ongoing. Accordingly, at this time, the Governor’s Office is declining to refer this matter to the Attorney General’s Office under RCW 43.10.232,” Wonhoff states in the letter, referencing a state law that gives prosecuting attorneys and the Attorney General “concurrent authority and power” to investigate and prosecute crimes.
In an email reply to Wonhoff on July 6, French stated, “We respectfully request your office to reconsider, or at least postpone its decision until someone from your office has spoken with us.
Calling the decision to refer the matter back to Lewis County “disconcerting,” French stated, “We are asking, at a minimum, for a meeting so that the governor can make a fully informed decision as to whether justice has been done.”
In addition to copying The Chronicle and other news outlets on the reply email, French forwarded the letter and reply to Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and Oregon state Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, “Because Aron was an Oregonian, and his family members, who continue to endure this tragedy every day, are Oregonians,” she wrote.
Information on any further communication between the parties was not publicly available Friday afternoon.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office has requested an “outside law enforcement agency” to conduct an investigation into aspects of its own investigation into Aron Christensen’s death, Field Operations Chief Dusty Breen previously told The Chronicle. On June 7, Breen stated to a reporter, “Their investigation is active, and our agency is not releasing any additional information at this time.”
The sheriff’s office was unavailable to provide The Chronicle with an update on the status of the investigation before Friday’s Chronicle deadline.
