Scammers killed an old man, moved into his house: policemen
A pair of criminals orchestrated a scheme to rob and eventually murder an elderly man in King County, Washington, before temporarily taking up residence in his home, according to prosecutors.
The victim, Curtis Engeland, 74, was allegedly defrauded financially by the defendants, Philip Brewer, 32, and Christina Joel Hardy, 47 years old, whom he had met several months prior. Mercer Island police, conducting a quiet investigation, discovered evidence suggesting that the suspects violently confronted Engeland at his Mercer Island residence on the night of February 23. They then purportedly used his vehicle to leave the area, and Engeland's body was later discovered near Cosmopolis, WA.
Engeland and Brewer had previously communicated via a dating app. The victim had reported to police on Jan. 13 that Brewer and certain valuables were missing after they had spent time together watching a movie.
Brewer and Hardy are accused of stealing money, including $5,000 from Engeland's checking account and $6,200 from his home equity loan account.
During Engeland's disappearance, the defendants allegedly returned to the victim's home with Brewer's son, claiming that Engeland had offered to rent out the basement to them. However, Engeland's family members, unaware of his departure or rental agreement, objected to Brewer and Hardy staying at the property. The defendants left the residence afterward.
Engeland's body was discovered through the analysis of cellphone data belonging to the defendants. The victim had suffered blunt force trauma to the face, a stab wound to the neck, and had fentanyl in his system.
In a subsequent development, a man dating Hardy's daughter was stopped for speeding in California and claimed he was fleeing from Brewer and Hardy after spending several days with them in Blythe, Riverside County. According to him, the defendants discussed killing Engeland and even planned to "kidnap" Hardy's daughter for childcare responsibilities as they anticipated going to prison. They allegedly injected Engeland with fentanyl, stabbed him, and later considered disposing of his body in Grays Harbor County.
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