Police Department

Richard Aguirre Taken into Custody for 1st Degree Murder

Ofc. Teresa Fuller

Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at Midnight

Spokane Major Crimes Detectives traveled to Tri-Cities this morning to take 51-year-old Richard Aguirre into custody for the 1986 homicide of Ruby Doss.

Spokane Police Major Crimes detectives took Aguirre into custody after a court hearing in Tri-Cities this morning. He will be booked into Spokane County Jail on the charge of 1st Degree Murder.

This arrest comes just over a month from when Aguirre was initially identified as a suspect in the nearly 3 decades old homicide. Detectives have been working tirelessly over the last month to ensure the best evidence is brought forward for this case. This included a number of trips to the Tri-Cities as well as tracking down witnesses from almost 30 years ago.

“Spokane Detectives still continue to review cold cases for new leads and evidence, so these perpetrators are held accountable for their crimes,” said Assistant Chief Selby Smith. “Because of the diligent work of multiple detectives and agencies over the last 30 years, we were able to present this case to prosecutors and help those affected by this tragedy.”

Detectives are still asking that any women who may have been assaulted by Aguirre, or anyone with information relating to the Doss homicide, contact SPD Major Crimes detectives at 509.622.5849.

Previous release:

Spokane Police detectives have identified a suspect in the 1986 homicide of Ruby Doss. The suspect has been identified as former Pasco Police officer Richard J. Aguirre. Spokane Police Major Crimes Spokane Police detectives have identified a suspect in the 1986 homicide of Ruby Doss. The suspect has been identified as former Pasco Police officer Richard J. Aguirre. Spokane Police Major Crimes detectives are asking any women who may have been assaulted by Aguirre, or anyone with information relating to the Doss homicide, to contact SPD Major Crimes detectives at 509.622.5849.

Spokane Police Major Crimes detectives have recently developed suspect information in the homicide of 27-year-old Ruby Doss, who was found strangled near the intersection N. Fiske St. and E. Ferry Ave. in Spokane in 1986.

Richard J. Aguirre, a former officer with the Pasco Police Department, was recently identified as a suspect in the case through a DNA profile match.

Aguirre is currently being investigated for an unrelated alleged sexual assault, which occurred in the Tri-Cities area in 2014. He was placed on administrative leave from the Pasco Police Department and recently resigned. As part of the sexual assault investigation his DNA was collected and submitted to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). His DNA profile matched the DNA profile collected from the 1986 Doss homicide.

Investigators are asking women who may have been assaulted by Aguirre or anyone with information related to the Doss homicide to contact Spokane Police Department Major Crimes detectives at 509.622.5849.

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