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Nathan Beal found guilty in second murder case

Beal is now convicted of killing his ex-wife and an unhoused man in Spokane nearly two years ago.

SPOKANE, Wash. — After a week-long trial and more than four hours of deliberation, the man accused of killing a man for practice in 2020 before murdering his ex-wife was found guilty of first-degree murder.

Nathan Beal is charged with murder in the death of Andrew Bull, who was living on the streets of Spokane at the time of his death.

The jury spent more than five hours in deliberations on Monday. Jurors were tasked with determining if prosecutors presented enough evidence to prove Beal is responsible for Bull's death.

On Monday evening, those jurors unanimously decided Beal is guilty of first-degree murder.

In closing arguments, Spokane County Prosecutor Dale Nagy discussed all the evidence presented in the case. He reminded the jury that the shell casing found at the crime scene was fired from the same gun found in Beal's apartment.

The string of more than a dozen surveillance video clips compiled by detectives was another major element of the case. The videos helped investigators identify the time of the gunshot and track the suspect's walking route to and from the crime scene in a downtown Spokane alley.

"They were able to establish a single suspect who was in that alley at the same time as Mr. Bull when Mr. Bull was shot," Nagy said. "There's only one other person in that alley besides Mr. Bull, and you saw pictures of the alley. It's a very small and narrow alley."

Defense Attorney Stephanie Cady later told the jury she believes prosecutors did prove that Bull was shot and killed, but said they did not prove it was Beal who committed the crime because they provided no evidence tying Beal to the crime scene of the victim.

"In everything that the state offered, they found no DNA at the scene belonging to Mr. Beal. Nothing tying him to that alley," Cady said. "Nothing. No blood on the firearm. No witness that identified Mr. Beal at the scene or even downtown ever."

Bull's family was in court every day during the trial and when the verdict was read. Although they are emotional about the conclusion of the trial, they told KREM 2 they are very happy the jury found Beal guilty.

A jury already convicted Beal of first-degree murder in February 2022 for killing his ex-wife. For that murder, he was sentenced to more than 31 years in prison.

In the summer of 2020, Mary Schaffer came to Spokane to pick up the two children she shares with Beal. She was parked outside his Browne's Addition apartment when Beal shot and killed her.  

During the investigation into Schaffer's murder, detectives connected Beal to the death of Bull. Prosecutors believe this is the man Beal killed for practice just four months before killing his ex-wife.

A judge decided both murders would be tried separately, which is why the jury selection relating to Bull's death started last week.

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