Brandon Greener and Joshua Jones: Duo charged in double homicide after killing mom-of-5 who witnessed the first murder

MAPLE VALLEY, WASHINGTON: Two suspected men, Brandon Gerner and Joshua Jones have been charged in relation to the deaths of two individuals, one of whom was a mother of five and a witness to the first murder.

The victims' bodies were discovered in bushes in Washington state by a dog walker who thought they were trash.

Brandon Gerner and Joshua Jones face several charges

According to King County prosecutors, 40-year-old Brandon Gerner was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with the deaths of 34-year-old Ashley Williams and 57-year-old Robert Riley.

The King County Sheriff's Office claims that he is also charged with first-degree animal cruelty in connection with the December shooting death of a horse that was shot in the head.

According to authorities, Joshua Jones, 34, was accused of providing criminal assistance. The now-dead suspect reportedly told investigators that the killing was the result of a "drug deal gone bad," according to The Seattle Times newspaper.

According to charging documents obtained by Law&Crime, Gerner allegedly gave that man, Kody Olsen, the order to shoot Riley before Gerner entered a trailer, found Williams, and repeatedly stabbed her because she was a witness who prosecutors claimed was "simply present at the scene."

As per Fox affiliated KCPQ, Olsen shot her after the knife broke. Gerner denied to investigators that he had stabbed Williams and named Olson as the murderer of the two victims.

The court documents suggests that the suspects also allegedly killed a dog on the property. They then supposedly drove the bodies to another location and dumped them by the side of the road.

Ashley Williams and witness' body found under trash

After a man walking his dog called 911 about a possible body, the bodies were discovered under trash and debris on November 16 near the Rock Creek Natural Area.

King5 was informed by Sgt. Eric White of the King County Sheriff's Office that "quite a bit of garbage covering the one body we could see.”

“They’re taking a methodical approach to check for evidence in and around before they actually remove the trash to determine closer what we have.”

Mark Bullard told King5 that while out for a walk with his dog, he noticed what at first glance appeared to be a pile of trash. He called 911 after discovering much more when he looked closer.

“I’m like looking at it, and I’m like, ‘Huh, is that a mannequin?’ And I looked again, and I was like,’ Huh, no.’ And so I started hollering, you know, thinking, ‘Are they alive?’ Ya know, ‘What’s going on?'” he said.

Williams had five children under her belt. The adoptive mother of her two youngest children posted a GoFundMe page expressing how much she would be missed.

“Ashley was a mom, a sister, a daughter, and a friend to so many,” the page said. “Her sister Angela would be very grateful for any help you can give toward Ashley’s funeral expenses, as Ashley’s family members were not prepared to deal with her untimely death.”

Brandon Gerner has a history of legal run-ins

There was more bloodshed following the double murder. A month or so after the murders, Olsen, 45, one of the suspects, died in December following a gunfight with Pierce County sheriff's deputies who were hunting him down for a suspected DUI in Tacoma.

Gerner is accused of shooting LeMon, a horse, following Olsen's memorial service, in what the Times claimed was a "sacrifice to Odin," the Norse god. When LeMon's owners awoke, they discovered that he had been shot to death.

Just before midnight on December 16, a neighbor's security footage showed a white car passing by and what appeared to be a gunshot. According to officials, the shooting was not captured on camera.

LeMon's owner wrote to him a hearfelt letter on Facebook on Thursday, following the release of information about his arrest.

According to court records, Gerner has a history of legal run-ins. After being found guilty of attempt to elude, second-degree assault, first-degree burglary, third-degree assault, and unlawful possession of firearms, he was sentenced on February 14, 2001. After 22 years, he was freed on March 20 of last year, court document stated. 

According to King5, he was the originator of the white supremacist prison gang Omerta.