Corey R. Morgan listens to lawyers discuss his bail amount in Lewis County Superior Court.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The 32-year-old man accused of strangling his girlfriend and trying to cover it up with a story of wrecking his truck after three assailants beat her on a logging road near Morton was ordered held on $500,000 bail yesterday.
Exactly what did happen between Corey R. Morgan and Brenda L. Bail remains mostly a mystery, but Morgan is charged with second-degree murder and Bail is dead after a night of drinking, according to his story.
Prosecutors say Morgan had been sentenced two days earlier for an incident of domestic violence from last fall when he punched her in the face.
Morgan was identified as a Randle resident by the sheriff’s office, but prosecutors indicate the two lived together south of Chehalis. He told law enforcement the 48-year-old was his fiancee and they’d been dating for a number of years.
“When interviewed, the defendant’s cousin, who was aware of the prior domestic violence case, said it was only a matter of time before the defendant did something like this,” prosecutors wrote in charging documents.
His version of events, which authorities have made clear they don’t entirely believe, begins with the couple drinking at the Market Street Pub in Chehalis until about 10 p.m. last Thursday.
He had a few drinks, she had more than five, he said.
According to charging documents filed yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court, he said they left for Wendy’s to get food and dropped some off for her daughter at their home on Pier Road south of Chehalis. Bail’s daughter told law enforcement her mother never came inside the residence.
Morgan said at about 11 p.m., the couple headed out to drink more alcohol at their “special spot” on a logging road about 30 miles away, according to charging documents.
Fast forward to 1:30 a.m. when a resident who lives on state Route 508 not far from the start of the logging road calls 911 to say a man came on foot to her door saying he and his fiancee had been in a wreck and she wasn’t breathing.
Aid crews from Lewis County Fire District 4 responded, along with a Morton police officer, according to the sheriff’s office. They detected no pulse, began CPR and transported Bail by ambulance to Morton General Hospital, according to the sheriff’s office.
Bail was pronounced dead in the emergency room at 2:25 a.m.
Charging documents state that multiple law enforcement officers were dispatched at about 2:30 a.m. after word of the death.
Morgan was questioned.
His truck was found in a ditch along Forest Service Road 73 with minimal damage, although he’d said he’d been traveling at almost 70 mph while being pursued by a Dodge Neon, according to charging documents.
Charging documents state Morgan maintained the same general substance to his story, but there were multiple inconsistencies between interviews with various law enforcement officers.
According to the documents: Morgan said he noticed another vehicle followed them after they turned onto the logging road. He said when they reached their destination, Bail got out to urinate while stayed inside his truck.
He said the car came speeding up at them, made a wild spinout and came to a stop whereupon three males – including his former roommate – jumped out and began repeatedly striking Bail with a Maglight flashlight and a baton.
Morgan said he used his marital arts training to fend them off, even knocking his former roommate out cold.
He said he picked Bail up, put her in the vehicle, sped down the logging road but then crashed into the ditch and got stuck.
He said he’d been hit in the head with the flashlight; law enforcement described the injury on the back of his head as more like a scratch.
The former roommate voluntarily spoke with law enforcement on Friday night and indicated he had “absolutely no idea” what the defendant was talking about. He had no injuries, charging documents state.
The cause of Bail’s death, according to the Lewis County Coroner, was asphyxiation caused by manual strangulation. Blunt force trauma to her head contributed to her demise, according to Coroner Warren McLeod.
The report from the medical examiner noted it would have taken about four to six minutes of strangulation for the death to occur, charging documents state.
In court yesterday afternoon, Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Shane O’Rourke asked for high bail, telling the judge it was a particularly violent homicide.
Morgan sat quietly beside defense attorney Bob Schroeter, with a half dozen individuals in the benches behind him.
Schroeter countered saying his client was a long term resident of the county with a “good” vocational history, commuting to Longview where he worked in an auto detailing shop for three years.
Judge Richard Brosey appointed Centralia attorney Don Blair to represent Morgan and scheduled his arraignment for Thursday morning.
Brenda Bail: Fun at the river in August 2010. / Courtesy photo
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
To all those who haven’t come to reality with the fact that the loss of a loved one in what way it maybe is tragic enough especially when there are k
Children involved. It is the worst feeling to have a parent taken from you
Seems to me that people want to pass judgement on Corey before he’s even been to trial. Last time I checked everyone was innocent until proven guilty!
“For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride” (Psalm 59:12 RSV)
Ya..how bad he will feel for the rest of his life..as he was laughing during his interogation..read the affidavit..he killed my cousin.face it.his parents raised a woman beater and a murderer.not a tae kwon do master.my cousin brenda was strangled to death at the hands of corey ross morgan.im sure he feels bad for her 2daughters too..see you in september in court.RIP Brenda Lee Bail
For real, I speak from experience. I HAVE been in a couple of abusive relationships and I was fortunate enough to have been taught not to tolerate assault at the hands of someone I was married to/dating/whatever. My parents never even raised their voices at one another when I was growing up.
I was not criticizing the victim for not leaving and would never think or suggest that she deserved what happened to her because she didn’t. I was just implying that she’d still be with us if she’d had the strength to do what would have been appropriate when this loser beat on her. I know it isn’t easy for most people in abusive relationships. I have friends who have put up with unbelievable treatment from their spouses or significant others . . .
and women aren’t always the victims either. There are plenty of stupid women out there who think they can hit a man as much as they want and shouldn’t ever get it back because they’re female. I totally disagree with this. If you want to fight a man, like a man, expect to get it in return. Or better yet, if someone makes you that angry, you should leave or take some anger management classes. Assaulting another person is only acceptable in one circumstance: when you are unable to remove yourself from a violent situation and are forced to defend yourself.
God bless this poor woman, and her family.
A good person? A good person dont have a rap sheet for hitting a woman! For his family I feel bad but at the sametime what if anything did any of you do when you knew he had hit a woman the first time? As for Brenda rest her soul. And her familys hearts. It is always easier to say leave the abuser unfortunitally that from expiriance is not as easy to do. Unless you have been the battered one you dont really understand. Mr Morgan isnt a man. Men dont hit woman nor take a womans life bare handed and then make excuses (and poor ines at that) to hide the wrongs they have done. A man owns his mistakes with no excuses. I feel for all involved with the exception of Morgan. To his family defending his actions. Maybe just maybe had he been held accountable the first time he hit a woman and been a real man and recieved help he needed maybe this womans life would have been spared.
Corey is woman beater – its on police record- the scars on brendas face showed it..unfortunately he wasnt able to fight his own demons with his tae kwon do and he took my cousins life..RIP cuz…xoxo
Leviticus 24 – 19 & 20:
19. And a man who inflicts an injury upon his fellow man just as he did, so shall be done to him [namely,]
20. fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Just as he inflicted an injury upon a person, so shall it be inflicted upon him.
@Glinda, so ur saying cuz I didnt use my real name, my oppinion is invalid? My real name is Brian and I live in Chehalis. Want to know more?? Last time I checked, I NEVER took the life of another human being! So put your panties back on and except the fact that he is a cold blooded murderer! Don’t make excuses!
I totally understand everything everyone is saying on this page….bt to all these fake people on here that don’t even have the balls to put ur own name on here so people know who u r….maybe u should step back and take a good look at ur own life! No body even knows if Corey did this or not….I mean my aunt glinda was killed in randle and the kills were nv found…..people r saying things that no one knows of its even the truth! Thanks for taking the time to read this
To the family members of this lying, woman beating POS. I recall that family members and friends of that child rapist, James Reeder, saying the same crap you are:
“He was a good person.”
“He’d never do such a thing.”
“You don’t know him.”
“You have no right to judge.”
Corey feels bad cause Corey got caught. Nothing more, nothing less. The woman was choked to death with somebody’s bare hands. Bail’s mistake was taking back into her life and home, a “man” who physically abused her. May she rest in peace.
Ladies OR Gents, if a person you are involved with ever lays a hand on you in anger there should NEVER, EVER be a second chance. Pick yourself up by your self esteem and GTFO!
I have heard Eye for an Eye but never tooth for a tooth. Is that a east end Lewis County saying because they are so rare? Just curious
But Lisarae, you’re “passing judgment” on “a really good person who wouldn’t do such a thing” because “you don’t know him like I do,” ad infinitum, ad nauseum.
We really need to codify this stuff into an Enablers Prayer (maybe something like the Possum Lodge Man’s Prayer on Red Green) because it’s like a universally-used mantra. The names change, but the rationalizations never do.
NEWS FLASH!!!!…….good people, sometimes do bad things. This does not alleviate their liability for their behavior. To the family members of this man………………there is a dead woman, whose death sounds like a very violent, painful horrific death. There is nothing she could have done that would justify what happened to her, nothing at all. Support your family, I would likely do the same. But your pity party, boohoo, whaaaaa garbage, is really, really pathetic. Let me remind you again………..there is a dead woman here. She was a mother, a daughter, maybe a sister, a human, who did not on any level deserve to die such a horrific death.
Let the justice system run its course. But family or no family, MURDER IS MURDER! This was not a justifiable killing! I hate when I accidentally strangle women.
Murder is murder! i dont car what the “family” thinks he murderd her end of story he need to rot in the deepest hell hole on earth mabey cut of one finger every year he lives in that hell hole then one toe and it wont be good enough he should rot in hell.
So if I knowingly kill some1, I wont be labled a murderer?? Just remember, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth!
Murder is murder! Don’t split hairs! He only feels bad cuz he got caught! Time to pay the piper!!!
David Morgan, thanks for commenting on here … why don’t you email me at sharyn.decker@lewiscountysirens.com …
So I am one of the family members that was at court yesterday and I would like to say that Iwas the only person that spoke to mrs. Decker and neither Inor anyone I was with said anything even close to the statement that I was told that wasposted I can’t seem to find the lewis county sirens page on facebook to put this on it as well I would just like to say if you can’t do your job properly and put what was actually said which Idid not say anything other than I was his cousin then maybe you should either not put it or find a different job I don’t appreciate false statements.being put on here he is a very good person that you do not know at all so please don’t put incorrect statements on here or don’t put them on here at all thank you have a nice day and god bless
I em the sister of Corey Morgan….I feel very bad for the family of Brenda…bt all the people posting on here need to stop and think bout how bad Corey already feels….and also need to think bout all of his family that read all of this! I’ve known my brother my whole life and don’t beleave he is a killer and the people that we were raised around know the same!
RIP Brenda :'(