From The Everett Herald:
Bones are those of missing Granite Falls teenager
The skeletal remains of Brandon Riley Kempf, 19, were discovered Tuesday by two hikers on the north side of the mountain.
Kempf was last seen in August 2005 near Blue Bridge on the Mountain Loop Highway. His clothes were recovered on the bridge, but until last week there was no sign of the Granite Falls teen.
The cause of death remains under investigation, according to the medical examiner.
The case has been treated in court as a homicide.
Prosecutors on Sept. 29 dismissed a second-degree murder charge against a Lake Stevens man who had been charged in connection with Kempf’s death. Aaron J. Hillman, 20, was released from the Snohomish County Jail after spending more than six months behind bars awaiting trial.
Prosecutors can refile charges at a later date.
Hillman reportedly told people he had killed Kempf, statements that led to his arrest early this year in northern California.
Hillman’s attorney, public defender Neal Friedman, said he’s waiting for word from the medical examiner before deciding what the discovery of Kempf’s remains may mean for his client.
AARON HILLMAN--SUSPECTED MURDERER
GRANITE FALLS – Search teams are scouring rugged forestlands east of Granite Falls for the body of a 19-year-old man who detectives believe might have been murdered.
Brandon Kempf of Granite Falls was reported missing in August after his yellow sweat shirt, shoes and other clothing were found near the Mountain Loop Highway.
A Lake Stevens man, Aaron J. Hillman, 19, has been charged with second-degree murder in Kempf’s disappearance.
About 35 search and rescue volunteers from Snohomish and King counties began searching for Kempf’s body on Saturday. They were aided by eight teams of cadaver dogs, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Rich Niebusch said.
They didn’t find anything, and were considering resuming the search today, Niebusch said.
Not long after Kempf was reported missing, rumors began circulating that he had been killed over suspicions he was a police informant, according to documents filed in Snohomish County Superior Court.
Sheriff’s detectives found that Hillman’s name surfaced along with the rumors, court documents said.
Detectives tracked him down last week near Oroville, Calif., and arrested him. He reportedly admitted talking about involvement in Kempf’s killing, but insisted in follow-up interviews that he had made up the story to impress people in Granite Falls, court documents said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 425-388-3845.
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
Lake Stevens man charged with murder
Loose talk, a pile of clothing on a highway bridge and a large knife have led to the arrest of a Lake Stevens man in a suspected slaying in the hills outside Granite Falls.
Aaron J. Hillman, 19, was arrested Thursday in Northern California. He was charged Friday with second-degree murder in the disappearance of Brandon Kempf, also 19.
Kempf has been missing since August, when his bright yellow sweat shirt, shoes and other clothing were found on Blue Bridge east of Granite Falls on the Mountain Loop Highway. No body has been found.
Not long after his mother reported him missing Aug. 12, rumors began circulating that Kempf, of Granite Falls, had been killed because of suspicions that he was a police informant, according to documents deputy prosecutor John Adcock filed Friday in Snohomish County Superior Court.
Detectives with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spent time running down rumors about who supposedly took Kempf’s life. Hillman’s name was among those that rumors linked to Kempf’s disappearance, detective Kelly Willoth said in an affidavit filed in support of the murder charge.
Detectives couldn’t immediately find Hillman, who had apparently left the area around Thanksgiving. From others, they learned that he had been talking about Kempf’s disappearance and suspected death. He also reportedly said he needed to get out of town.
Detectives this week tracked Hillman down near Oroville, Calif.
“At that time, Hillman made statements that he knew we were looking for him and that he had information that he had wanted to give us for a long time,” Willoth wrote.
On the ride to the police station, “Hillman told us he had information that would cause us to be mad at him and that he had done some stupid things. He also asked if we arranged for mental help for people.”
Hillman reportedly admitted talking about involvement in Kempf’s killing, hoping to impress some in Granite Falls as a “tough guy,” documents show. Willoth said he told a former girlfriend that he had killed Kempf with a knife and sexually assaulted the body before pushing it off a cliff, according to court papers.
The former girlfriend “seemed very upset, scared and disgusted about what she knew,” the detective wrote.
Through tears, she recounted what Hillman had told her happened to Kempf. She also told detectives that Hillman said he gave a friend in Everett the “meat cleaver-type knife” used in the killing, the affidavit said.
Detectives on Friday recovered a knife that Hillman had given to the friend in Everett, documents show.
Hillman on Friday was jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail in Butte County, Calif. In a follow-up interview with detectives, he continued to insist that he made up the story about killing Kempf, Willoth wrote.
The investigation is continuing, and more interviews will be conducted, said deputy Dave Hayes, a sheriff’s office spokesman.