Jose Anibal Cruz

Narrative
RVWD: CLE / 407 OFC: R. Harris, 453 / rh453
CASE #: 21-P08063 Officer-Worn Camera: Used
SYNOPSIS:

Unknown person entered the residence, brandished a knife in a bedroom, and left.

No suspects or leads, case inactive.

NARRATIVE:

On 10/10/2021 at about 0330 hours Pullman officers responded to ███ ██ Ash Street for a report of a burglary in progress. Dispatch said the complainant reported her roommate just saw a male with a ski mask and a knife in the house.

Upon arrival I met the female who saw the suspect, ████ ██████ ██████████ at the back door. I directed the four residents of the residence to their vehicle in the back driveway. They requested we search the residence. I asked them to stay in the vehicle with the doors locked as we searched. Officers searched the residence and did not find anyone inside.

I spoke with ██████ ██████ said she was asleep in bed in her room in the basement when she awoke to her bedroom door being opened. She said she saw a person enter the room and approach her bed. She said the person was wearing a full face burgundy ski mask and was holding a knife in their right hand. She described and demonstrated the person holding the knife up to their right with the blade coming out of the bottom of their right fist. She said when the person got to the edge of her bed, she kicked them in the stomach. She said the person fell back against her closet, but was still standing. She said the person immediately " booked it ", leaving the room rapidly, and she heard them run up stairs. She said the person was silent and did not say anything the whole time.

██████ said she then put on pants and went into █████ ████████ s bedroom next to her own. She said she told ████████ what happened, and ███████ t called police.

She said while ████████ was on the phone, her other two roommates, ███████
███████ and ██████ ██████████, arrived. ██████ said the back door of the residence was unlocked prior to ███████ and ██████████ getting home.

██████ described the suspect as about 5-03 to 5-05, and she did not know if they were male or female. She said they were wearing a burgundy full face ski mask and what may have been a dark crew neck sweatshirt. She said they were holding a knife with a blade similar to but slightly larger than a typical steak knife.

██████ did not have any suspects. She said her roommates sometimes played pranks on her, but never like this, and would not have taken it this far. She said she had been part of the sorority her roommates were in, but ███████ was not currently a student or part of the house. She said she did not have any problems with the house. She said she worked at Zoe cafe in Pullman, and was going to start work at 0630 hours. She said she sometimes had customers that were odd or creepy toward her, but she did not think any of them would know where she lived. She said she did not bring anyone to her home.

█████████ told me she was in her bedroom in the basement next to ██████ S bedroom. ███████ t said she had been in bed watching TV, but still awake. She said she did not see anything, and the first thing she heard was the sound of
01/19/23

someone running up the stairs. She said then ██████ came into her room and told her what happened, and ████████ called police.

I gave ██████ my card with the case number and asked her to contact me with any further information. I asked her to lock everything and call 911 if there were any problems. She said she did not know if she and her roommates would stay there or in a hotel.

Officers searched inside, outside, and around the neighborhood, and did not find a suspect or any evidence. No suspects or leads, case inactive.

I certify and declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Washington, that the foregoing is true and correct.

Officer Ruben Harris, 453 Pullman Police Department Tue Oct 12 05:17:35 PDT 2021
01/19/23

Supplement
RVWD: CLE / 407 OFC: C. L. Engle, 407 / cle
CASE #: 21-P08063 Officer-Worn Camera: Yes
SUPPLEMENTAL NARRATIVE:

On 10/10/2021 at approximately 0329 hrs., I responded to a report of a burglary in progress at ███ ██ Ash St. Whit.com advised the suspect had a knife and was wearing a ski mask. Ofc. Harris extricated the residence, who gave us permission to search the residence. Ofc. Harris, Ofc. Germer, Ofc. Geil, WSUPD Sgt. Kuhrt, and I searched the residence and found no one inside. I checked the interior windows and doors. We entered through the back door on the south side.

The north side door was deadbolted. Four windows in the mudroom accessed by the south side doors were unlocked. The two southernmost windows on the west wall of the living room were unlocked. Two windows in both upstairs bedrooms and the bathroom window were unlocked. The basement escape window on the west side of the residence at ground level was unlocked and resting in a partially open position.

I examined the exterior of the residence and found that all the second floor windows were at least six feet off the ground. Nothing immediately inside the windows was disturbed. It would have been exceptionally difficult for a person to open them from the outside as they would have had to prop themselves with one arm while opening the heavy windows with the other. The ground outside the basement window was covered in leaves and bark. I did not see any areas where bark was disturbed.

End report.

cle / cle I certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Washington that the foregoing is true and correct.

Sergeant Christopher Engle ID # 407 Pullman Police Department October 10, 2021
01/19/23

Supplement
RVWD: AB / 406 OFC: A. Breshears, # 406 / AB
CASE #: 21-P08063 Officer-Worn Camera: yes
SUPPLEMENTAL NARRATIVE:

On 10/11/21 I spoke with ████ ██████ and her mother █████ ██████ by phone about the status of the case. They had concerns that the downstairs neighbor could look into her room while he smoked outside. She had not ever caught him watching her, but noted he could easily see in where he stands and smokes. They also asked questions about home security systems and cameras. I provided ████
contact information to ATVP.

At about 1100 hours I went to ███ ██ Ash Street. I went to the lower unit occupied by the neighbor. I contacted a male there who identified himself to me with a WA ID card as Jose Anibal Cruz ██████████ He had a strong Spanish accent and said he didn't speak English well. There was a language barrier, but I was able to communicate. He said he lived in the apartment by himself. His wife lived in town, but they were separated. I asked Cruz if he heard or saw anything suspicious on Saturday night. He told me no. I asked where he was that night. He initially told me he worked until 0200 at Rancho Viejo. He then said he worked until 2230. He said that he went to Timber that night until about 0200 with his friend " Miguel ". He spent the night at Miguel's house after they left Timber. He said he didn't come home that night at all.

I went up stairs and spoke with one of the roommates. She showed me ████ ' s room and the locations that Cruz smoked outside. She explained that Cruz used to smoke in front of his door, but they asked him to move so the smoke didn't enter their apartment. He then moved around to the side of the house on the grass near ████ s bedroom to smoke. She said he didn't speak much other than to say hello.

Later I checked Cruz's name. I noted that in May of 2017 Cruz was suspected of entering a neighbors resident and watching her sleep. See case 17-P04993 for more details.

I certify and declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Washington, that the foregoing is true and correct.

Sgt. Aaron Breshears, # 406 Pullman Police Department Mon Oct 11 11:57:14 PDT 2021
01/19/23

Supplement
RVWD: GSU / 408 OFC: BBANKS 458 / BB

CASE #: 21-P08063 Officer-Worn Camera: No
SUPPLEMENTAL NARRATIVE:

On 10/15/2021 I was assigned to follow up on this case. I went to Rancho Viejo and spoke with the manager, █████ █████████ █████████ showed me Cruz's timecard, stating Cruz had worked until 2220 hours on 10/10/2021. █████████ said Cruz had worked with Miguel, later identified as Miguel A. Moreno Saldana (██████ 1) that day. █████████ showed me Miguel's timecard, stating he worked until 2330 hours on 10/10/2021. I also noticed that the female from Cruz's similar prior involvement (see PPD case 17-P04993) had a similar height, weight, hair and eye color to ██████
I located a phone number for Miguel and left him a voicemail. Miguel later returned my call, and confirmed he worked with Cruz on 10/10/2021. Miguel said that he and Cruz had gone to The Lumberyard that night, and had left together around closing at 0200. Miguel said that they had walked to Cruz's residence on NE Ash St. Miguel said that he called a friend to pick him up, and had left Cruz's residence around 0230-0300 hours. Miguel said that Cruz had been home alone when he left. Miguel said he had been a little intoxicated, and believed Cruz had been intoxicated as well. Miguel estimated that Cruz had consumed about 5 drinks.

On 10/19/2021 I received a call from an unidentified mother, who had recently visited for parents weekend. She told me that she had seen a smaller white male wearing a burgundy colored hat cleaning up leaves in the area of ███ NE Campus St. She said the male had not done anything suspicious, and seemed developmentally delayed.

On 10/19/2021 I applied for a search warrant (SW101921) for ███ ██ Ash St; B, Cruz's residence for a steak type knife, dark colored / burgundy ski type mask and Indicia of occupancy. The warrant was signed by Judge Hart on 10/19/2021. I de conflicted the warrant prior to service: WA0171938.

I assisted in serving the search warrant on 10/19/2021, along with other officers and detectives. I located two large kitchen knives in Cruz's residence, which I measured and photographed (see evidence.com). I seized an Avista bill as indicia of occupancy, which I later processed as evidence. I later completed the return of service and e-mailed it to the court.

I spoke with ██████, and asked her to estimate the size of the knife. ██████
demonstrated an approx. 5-8 " blade using her hands. I photographed her estimation both with, and without the handle. ██████ could not remember anything additional regarding the knife or the suspect.

I later received a call from █████ ██████ ████ ████████ mother, stating she had heard through the grapevine of another sighting of a male in a burgundy ski mask. I called ███████ who said she had heard through her roommates that some males living in the area had seen a male in a burgundy ski mask on 10/12/2021 standing outside their window and waving. I asked Miller to have the males call the PD to gather further information. Miller said she would do so.

As of 10/26/2021 I have not received further reports.

01/19/23

On 10/27/2021 I spoke with Cruz at his residence. I had WSUPD Ofc. Erik Lara with me, who is fluent in Spanish. Cruz spoke mostly in Spanish throughout the interview, which was translated by Ofc. Lara. I mirandized Cruz. Cruz told me that the discrepancy between his statement and Miguel's version of events was due to his inability to speak English. I reminded Cruz that he very clearly expressed to Sgt. Breshears that he was not home all night, and had spent the night at Miguel's. Cruz maintained that he had not understood Breshears. Cruz said that he and Miguel had actually walked back to Cruz's residence. Cruz said Miguel had waited for a ride and he had gone to sleep. Cruz denied hearing or seeing anything. Cruz said he had not noticed the police presence or heard the noise. I asked Cruz what type of masks he wears at work, referencing Covid-19 mask mandates. Cruz said he wears multiple masks, and showed me a blue medical mask. Cruz said he doesn't talk to his neighbors except when they ask him to move because he is smoking too close to their door.

At this time I do not have PC to arrest Cruz. No further suspects or leads.

Case closed, inactive.

BB

I certify and declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Washington, that the foregoing is true and correct.

Breauna Banks ID # 458 Pullman Police Department Wed Oct 27 12:19:46 PDT 2021
01/19/23

Supplement
RVWD: GSU / 408 DETECTIVE: M. Sontgerath, # 451 / MWS
CASE #: 21-P08063 Officer-Worn Camera: Yes
SUPPLEMENTAL NARRATIVE:

On 10/19/2021, at approximately 1218 hours, I assisted Officer Banks with serving a search warrant at ███ ██ Ash Street, B.

While searching the residence, I located an Avista bill with the name Jose Anibal Cruz and the aforementioned address on it. I located the Avista bill in the bottom drawer of a two drawer, wooden file cabinet located in the living room of the residence. I advised Officer Banks of the Avista bill and where I found it.

End of narrative.

MWS

I certify and declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Washington, that the foregoing is true and correct.

Detective Michael W. Sontgerath, # 451 Pullman Police Department
10/20/2021
01/19/23

Supplement
RVWD: CLE / 407 OFC: C. L. Engle, 407 / cle
CASE #: 21-P08063 Officer-Worn Camera: N / A
SUPPLEMENTAL NARRATI VE:

On 1/10/2023, Cmdr. Breshears directed me to follow up on a lead for this investigation.

On 12/30/2022, Bryan Kohberger had been arrested for four counts of Murder 1st Degree and Burglary for an incident that occurred 11/13/2022 in Moscow, ID. An affidavit (see attached file) filed in Latah County (Idaho) District Court by MPD Cpl. Brett Payne noted their investigation concluded Kohberger had entered a residence in Idaho wearing a mask and killed three college-age women and one college-age man using a knife at the women's residence near the University of Idaho campus. The affidavit noted Kohberger had begun attending Washington State University in the fall of 2022. DeSales University stated on their website (see attached file) that Kohberger completed a bachelor's degree there in 2020 and his graduate studies in 2022.

Although Kohberger would not have been residing in Pullman during October, 2021, Cmdr. Breshears advised PPD had received information that the WSU Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology may have had an on-campus event for prospective graduate students that Kohberger may have attended around the time of this incident. I e-mailed the department's Graduate Program Coordinator, Danielle Makin, requesting information. Makin responded the following day and wrote that the department was looking into my request.

On 1/19/2023, I received an e-mail from Makin responding to my request. It contained a forwarded e-mail from Melanie-Angela Neuilly, Associate Professor and Chair, which read that the program was not aware of any visit by Kohberger during the period indicated and did not hold any recruitment events at that time.

Case inactive.

cle / cle I certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Washington that the foregoing is true and correct.

Sergeant Christopher Engle ID # 407 Pullman Police Department January 12, 2023
01/19/23