Botched robbery or self-defense? Trial begins in Kennewick in death of great-grandfather
Mar 6, 2025, 12:15 PM
Three men face charges in Benton County (Photo: @bloomsberries/Flickr Creative Commons)
(Photo: @bloomsberries/Flickr Creative Commons)
Testimony began Thursday in Benton County Superior Court in the case of a 65-year-old great-grandfather who was gunned down outside his Kennewick apartment.
Prosecutors said Leonard Slack Jr. was walking up the stairs of his Kennewick apartment before Anthony Spearman, 42, shot and killed him, according to the Tri-City Herald.
Prosecutors said Slack was shot twice with a revolver in 2021 while climbing the stairs to his apartment in a botched robbery. A search uncovered a pill resembling fentanyl and a white powdery substance, Deputy Prosecutor Kristin McRoberts said.
Before he died, Slack identified Spearman as his shooter to police, a neighbor, and a 911 dispatcher.
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Testimony begins in the second-degree murder trial in Kennewick
Spearman had initially pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter. He withdrew his plea after a sentencing error was discovered. Opening statements in the second-degree murder trial happened on Wednesday.
Court documents outlined Spearman’s history of drug use. Shortly before the shooting, Spearman allegedly tried to get a gun via social media, McRoberts said.
Police said they believe Spearman went to Slack’s home intending to rob him. The neighbor who called 911 is expected to testify in the case.
Officers said they found Slack’s apartment in disarray, with a tipped-over couch, a flipped table, a revolver, and a machete.
Spearman allegedly sent social media messages after the shooting, seeking cash to flee the area. He was arrested two days later at the Thunderbird Motel in Pasco. He made vague statements to police about Slack attacking him with a machete. He said he used a gun he found at the scene in self-defense.
Defense attorney Josh Cuevas argued that Spearman and Slack had an arrangement involving sexual favors for drugs. Cuevas claimed that Slack forced himself on Spearman during a struggle, leading Spearman to fire the revolver in self-defense.
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