Chase follows Moscow shootings: Triple murder suspect appears in court

A formal charge of felony eluding was filed in superior court Monday against John Lee, 29, Moscow, before he made a first appearance in court.

Judge David Frazier also informed Lee that arrest warrants had been filed for three charges of first-degree murder and one charge of attempted first degree murder in Idaho Second District Court in Latah County. Lee has officially been ordered to be detained here on the Latah County warrants.

Lee, who was booked into jail here late Saturday afternoon, appeared in court in a security smock with his hands locked to a belt in front of him. It was the first appearance since Lee was arrested late Saturday afternoon on Highway 195 south of Steptoe where he had lost control after a high speed chase from Pullman and through Colfax.

Lee is alleged to have fatally shot three people in Moscow Saturday afternoon and wounded a fourth suspect. Police reported he departed Moscow and the car he was driving was identified as he approached Pullman on the Moscow-Pullman Highway.

Alleged victims in the fatal Moscow shootings are Lee’s adoptive mother, Terri Grzebielski, 61; David Trail, 76, and Belinda Niebuhr, 47. The fourth alleged victim, now hospitalized in Spokane, was Michael Chin, 39, Seattle.

According to the Moscow Police account, the chain of events began Saturday when they received a report at 2:31 p.m. from Chin who was at Mr. Trail’s office on E. Third Street in Moscow. Chin reported he had been wounded and Mr. Trail had been shot.

Seven minutes later Moscow Police received a report of a shooting at the Moscow Arby’s. Subsequent reports said the suspect reportedly walked into Arby’s and asked to see the manager, Niebuhr, and fatally shot her.

Trail was taken to Pullman Memorial Hospital, and Niebuhr was taken to Gritman Hospital. Both were determined to be deceased.

Chin was also taken to Gritman and later to a Spokane hospital where he reportedly was taken out of an intensive care unit Sunday after being treated for wounds in the left arm and leg.

Chin reportedly was in Trial’s office when Lee entered and began shooting, according to the Moscow Police report.

Grzebielski was found dead at her residence in the 400 block of Veatch Street when Moscow police began to check out acquaintances of Lee. She was believed to have been shot before Lee allegedly went to Trail’s office and then to Arby’s on Peterson Drive, located off the Moscow-Pullman Highway.

After the shooting at Arby’s, Lee was reported to be driving westbound in a 2009 Honda Fit on the Moscow-Pullman Highway. Pullman police made an attempt to stop the suspect at 2:58 p.m. before he reached Pullman, but Lee sped away and continued through Pullman and up Davis Way.

A report from Pullman Police late Saturday said Lee at times was driving in excess of 100 miles an hour as he headed for Colfax on Highway 195. He also passed other northbound vehicles in foggy driving conditions.

Sheriff’s Deputies, Washington State Troopers and Colfax officers also joined in the attempt to stop Lee. Traffic in Colfax was partially blocked on Main Street as the chase went through the downtown area. One count of squad cars involved in the chase behind Lee totaled nine.

According to the accident report by Trooper Bruce Blood, Lee lost control of the Honda at 3:20 p.m. It slid sideways, crossed the centerline and rolled into the ditch on the southbound side of the highway at mile marker 47. A video taken by a motorist who was stopped at the scene was shown on one of the Spokane television reports Sunday. It appeared to show Lee walking backwards with his hands in the air.

Colfax ambulance and rescue units responded to the scene, and Lee was checked for minor injuries at Whitman Hospital and then booked into the jail.

Police reported that a subsequent search of the wrecked Honda led to the discovery of five guns in the car.

Mr. Trail, a long-time Moscow businessman, was a brother of Tom Trail, former long-time Idaho state representative.

Mrs. Grzebielski was a physician’s assistant at Moscow Medical Clinic.

At Monday’s first appearance hearing, Prosecutor Denis Tracy reported he had filed the formal charge of felony eluding. Tracy, noting it was a miracle the high speed chase didn’t lead to additional loss of life, said he intended to pursue the eluding charge in Whitman County. He noted Lee had been traveling with a loaded automatic rifle in the Honda he was driving.

Judge Frazier also advised Lee of the extradition process which could return him to Idaho to face the charges there. The judge noted under extradition law he was bound to keep Lee in jail here without bail because the pending murder charges in Idaho call for suspects to be kept in jail without bail.

Tracy requested a $500,000 bail figure be placed on the eluding charge. Judge Frazier, after noting the bail question was probably moot because of the Idaho charges, agreed to add the requirement for bail on the Washington charge.

A preliminary hearing on extradition was scheduled for Friday afternoon. The judge noted the court here is required to ascertain the suspect here is the person sought in Moscow.

Public defender Steve Martonick was appointed to represent Lee.

Lee sat with his head down during the session, but responded “no, your honor” when asked by the judge to give a verbal response for the court’s recording system. He had been asked if he had any questions.

Lee at some point will be asked whether or not he will waive extradition to face the Idaho charges. If he decides not to waive, the process requires a formal hearing on a writ of extradition on requests made by the governor.