Detective Bruce Kimsey talks with Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer and Sheriff Steve Mansfield in the inquest courtroom during a break. / Courtesy photo by Bradd Reynolds
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Present day members of the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office testified yesterday they were unable to confirm Joshua Williams’ story of a teenage party at the Reynolds’ Toledo home and his allegation Ronda Reynolds was shot and killed by one of the young people there.
Three sheriff’s detectives told of following up in 2009 and 2010 on new information in the case of the Dec. 16, 1998 death of the former trooper. They spoke of interviewing about a dozen individuals, many of them who were teenagers at the time.
“I have the feeling Mr. Williams may have been making some things up, to put it bluntly,” detective Kevin Engelbertson said yesterday morning.
Their testimony came as the coroner’s inquest in Chehalis into Reynolds’ death is wrapping up.
Reynolds was was found dead on the floor of a small walk-in closet, with a bullet in her head and covered up by a turned-on electric blanket.
Former sheriff’s detective Jerry Berry testified at length last week about a series of jail house meetings he had with Williams in which he was told Williams and others were at the Reynolds’ boys’ house, hanging out, playing video games and partying the night before the death.
Berry continued working with Barb Thompson – mother of Ronda Reynolds – after he left the sheriff’s office and then worked as a private investigator.
Berry was told Reynolds’ husband, Ron Reynolds, was home only briefly that night and left the house.
Engelbertson testified he knew Williams from his previous longtime work as a drug detective, and he had many times before given information in attempts to get out of jail and found to be unreliable.
Engelbertson spoke of contacting Jason Collins, who Williams implicated, and said Collins denied ever being at the Toledo house and said he’d do anything detectives wanted to clear his name.
Detectives yesterday recounted, as Berry previously has, that Williams’ story had grown more elaborate with each interview.
Detective Bruce Kimsey said yesterday Williams seemed to be extracting details from Berry’s questioning, and giving back that same information.
Kimsey and detective Jamey McGinty both testified they think the death was suicide.
Inquest jurors yesterday also heard briefly from former Chief Criminal Deputy Joe Doench, who said he had administrative overview of sheriff’s office field operations in 1998.
Doench, who said he was at the scene briefly but didn’t directly supervise the death investigation, told the courtroom he considers it a case of suicide.
Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod said yesterday he has two witnesses testifying today, and then five members of the inquest jury will adjourn to deliberate.