Dec. 20—A 73-year-old Colville man accused of killing a Stevens County woman and her young daughter 27 years ago will be held in jail without bail after a prosecutor said the man has a prior murder conviction in Oregon and would be at risk to flee and harm witnesses if released.
Charles Tatom, sporting striped Stevens County Jail clothing and a long white beard, made his first appearance virtually Friday morning in front of Stevens County District Court Commissioner Timothy Trageser.
Tatom faces two counts of aggravated first-degree murder in the killings of Marlene Emerson, who was 29, and her 12-year-old daughter, Cassie Emerson. If convicted, Tatom would be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
For years, investigators suspected Tatom of the killings, but it wasn’t until recent DNA testing that detectives linked Tatom to the crimes.
Marlene Emerson’s body was found inside her Colville trailer home that had been destroyed by a fire on June 27, 1997. Her spine had been cut and her throat slit before the fire, according to court documents.
At the time, investigators believed someone killed Emerson, lit her home on fire and abducted Cassie, according to previous reporting from The Spokesman-Review. A month later, Cassie’s body was found in a wooded area south of Colville with knife marks on her neck, according to court documents.
Investigators said Emerson associated with members of a motorcycle club in Colville at the time of her death. Some members were reportedly upset with her because of her role in a burglary and her cooperation with police in a separate case, according to court records.
On Friday, Trageser read the charges, which said the alleged murders were to obtain or maintain membership or advance his position of hierarchy in the motorcycle club.
Stevens County Prosecuting Attorney Erika George, who argued for no bond, said witnesses are “extremely fearful,” which delayed them providing information to detectives. Trageser ordered Tatom not to have contact with 53 witnesses and victims’ surviving family members.
“These offenses are heinous; they’re violent,” George said.
Melissa Haney, Tatom’s attorney and the director of the county’s public defender’s office, said her client denied committing the crimes and argued for a $500,000 bond.
She said he’s been cooperative with law enforcement and that Tatom’s “whole life is here,” noting that he’s lived in the same home for 30 years, doesn’t have a driver’s license and could not afford to leave the area because of his limited income.
Trageser said the detailed affidavit featured a great deal of direct and circumstantial evidence against Tatom and held him without bail.
Tatom is scheduled for an arraignment Dec. 31.