2 men tied to white supremacist group charged in Maple Valley murders
Feb 15, 2024, 2:37 PM | Updated: 8:32 pm
A King County Sheriff’s Office vehicle. (Photo courtesy of King County Sheriff's Office)
(Photo courtesy of King County Sheriff's Office)
Two men with ties to a white supremacist prison group have been charged in the death of a man and woman whose bodies were found dumped at the side of a road in Maple Valley last November. One of the suspects is also accused of killing a local family’s horse.
The bodies of Robert L. Riley, 57, and Ashley N. Williams, 34, were found Nov. 16.
Prosecutors say 40-year-old Brandon Gerner convinced a third member of the prison gang — Kody Olsen — to kill Riley over a drug deal gone bad. Court documents state Riley was shot once and Williams “suffered over 20 sharp force injuries consistent with stab wounds” and was also shot twice. It appears she was murdered because she was a witness.
Olsen died Dec. 16, 2023 after getting shot during a DUI traffic stop and pursuit involving Pierce County deputies on Dec. 12.
Gerner said he killed the horse as a “sacrifice to Odin” after Olsen’s death.
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Gerner faces first- and second-degree murder charges. He also has been charged with first-degree animal cruelty and he faces a firearms charge.
A second suspect — 34-year-old Joshua Jones — is accused of helping to dispose of Riley’s and Williams’ bodies. Jones faces two charges of rendering criminal assistance.
As part of the investigation, King County prosecutors contacted a Washington State Department of Corrections investigator who is an expert on white supremacist subject matter. That investigator advised that Jones, Herner and Olden were all members of white supremacist prison gangs in state prisons. The three of them all spent time together while they were previously incarcerated.
Court documents state Gerner is the founder of the Omerta White Supremacist prison gang and Jones is a documented member as well. Before his death, Olsen was a documented “Nazi Low Rider” gang member and an “associate” of the Omerta prison gang.
Contributing: Steve Coogan, MyNorthwest
Heather Bosch is an award-winning anchor and reporter on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of her stories here. Follow Heather on X, formerly known as Twitter, or email her here.
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