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Docs: Spokane road rage murder victim had putty knife, boyfriend took it from scene

According to newly filed court documents, police learned during an interview with the driver of the car the victim was in that the victim had a putty knife.

SPOKANE, Wash — A search warrant filed Wednesday contains new details into the North Spokane road rage murder of a Spokane mom and may support claims made by the suspect.  

Richard Hough, 28, was arrested Saturday for second degree murder. He made his first court appearance Monday afternoon where he pleaded not guilty. A judge set his bond at $750,000. 

Hough claimed that the victim was armed with a knife and she had threatened to cut him. Police said in court documents that they didn't find a knife on the scene. According to newly filed court documents, police learned during an interview with the driver of the car the victim was in that the victim had a putty knife on her and he took it before he fled the scene.

Officers with the Spokane Police Department (SPD) responded to multiple reports of a woman who was shot shortly before 11 a.m. on Saturday. When officers arrived at the intersection of Francis Avenue and Addison Street, they found a woman lying in the road, SPD spokesperson Julie Humphreys said. Despite life-saving measures, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hough and two of his family members remained on scene and were cooperative with police, Humphreys said.

It appears to officers that the suspect and victim got into an altercation while driving, Humphreys said. When both cars came to a stop at Francis and Addison, the shooter and the victim got out of their cars and exchanged words. That's when the woman was fatally shot while standing in the road, according to Humphreys.

Family members who spoke with KREM 2 identified her as 33-year-old Erika Kienas. The Spokane County Medical Examiner said Kienas died from a gunshot wound to the chest.

Before his court appearance, Hough spoke with KREM 2’s Amanda Roley and he admitted to shooting Kienas in self-defense.

He said he, along with his mother and brother, were headed to his sister’s house for a barbeque when they saw a car driving on the wrong side of the street. Then, he said the car cut them off and his mother, who was driving, honked at them. He said that’s when Kienas flipped them off.

After that, Hough said he doesn’t have a clear recollection of what happened.

“I have a hard time grasping everything in a very stressful situation, I have PTSD, and extreme panic disorder that can send my heart rate, way, way, way above where it should be,” he explained. “So, for me to give an exact recollection would be almost impossible. All I know is she did present a knife and she threatened my life.”

Court documents say that Hough told police he never saw a knife and saw Kienas reach into her bra for something. He told police she had threatened to cut him, according to documents. Police said they did not find a knife on the Kienas.

Hough said he thinks a witness hid the weapon he says Kienas was carrying.

“All I know is that they did run from the scene so I wouldn’t put it past them to hide a weapon or anything like that,” he said.

On Tuesday, Spokane police contacted the driver of the car Kienas was in. According to court documents, the man, who said he was the Kienas' boyfriend, said he fled the scene because he had outstanding warrants.

He told police he heard Kienas arguing with Hough but did not hear her make any threats, documents say. He said he did hear her acknowledge the suspect's gun, then the gunshot, according to documents.

Documents said the man got out of the car to see Kienas lying on the ground along with a putty knife. He told police he normally kept it in his vehicle. Court documents say he picked up the putty knife and fled. He described the putty knife as having a Stanley screw driver handle with a putty knife attached to it. 

Police seized his vehicle to search for evidence, documents say. 

Court documents said before the shooting Hough had taken hydocodone that morning for an old injury. He normally take Xanax for his anxiety but he told police he hadn't needed it for the last few days, documents say. Hough told police heat triggers his anxiety and he started to feel anxious in the car because it was hot. To help with his anxiety, court documents said he consumed a portion of a CBD drink in the car.

Even though Hough originally said he didn’t have a clear recollection of what happened, he said Kienas got out of the car she was a passenger in and that’s when he got out of his car.

“I wanted to confront the situation and keep her as far away from my mother as possible,” Hough said. “Well I mean immediately she goes and says something about my gun on my side. Obviously, it has nothing to do with the situation at all. And that's when she said, ‘I'm going to cut you, you shouldn’t have f***** with me,' something like that or something along those lines. That’s when I was like, ‘No, please stop.’ And she reached in there grabbed a knife and that's when I felt I had to protect myself.”

According to court documents, Hough has a concealed carry permit but was recently denied a firearms purchase. 

Hough said if he could talk to Kienas’ family, he would beg for forgiveness.

“I can put myself in that situation and would be completely lost,” Hough said. “I wouldn't know what to do if I was to lose my sister or my daughter, or anything like that. I'm just as hurt by this as anybody.”

He said if he could go back, he would have completely avoided the situation.

Kienas’ parents, James Smartt and Yvonne Reiner, also spoke with KREM 2’s Amanda Roley.

“Erika was a wonderful person,” Smartt said.  “She got into trouble, she hung out with the wrong crowd, she's done things that she wasn't proud of. She has a beautiful son and her 9-year-old son has been left behind and that is that the only thing we're concerned about right now. And they obviously want to see justice done for Erica, but her son’s our biggest concern at this point.”

Smartt said the family has had a hard time processing everything.

“I'm not even sure it's fully sunk in yet and we've had one little over 48 hours now, 50 hours,” he said. “We heard about it on the news report before we were even sure where it happened. We got a text from her current boyfriend that she had been shot and we ran into town, and went to one of the hospitals and couldn’t get any information. It wasn't until several hours later, the detectives finally got a hold of them to confirm the situation.”

Smartt said Kienas was an artist and they have several painting she did to remember her by.

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do without her,” Reiner said.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Kienas’ son.

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