Three additional defendants have been sentenced to prison in connection with the kidnapping and murder of 20-year-old Christopher Jerry in August, 2005. MICHAEL JORDAN, 21, of University Place was sentenced to 19 years in prison and 5 years of supervised release for Kidnapping Resulting in Death. JACOB GARDNER, 21, of Milton and University Place, was sentenced to ten years in prison and five years of supervised release on the same charge, and APRYL JOY BEACH, 20, of Tacoma, was sentenced to twenty months in prison and three years of supervised release for being an accessory after the fact and making a false official statement. Two other defendants had already been sentenced: Thomas Evans Dunigan, 23, of Lakewood, Washington, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and Markus Moore, 26, of Lakewood was sentenced to more than 29 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton said at JORDAN’s sentencing that JORDAN “set everything in motion.... You assembled the cast of characters, you initiated everything that happened that night.”

Jerry was a former soldier who was shot to death in late August 2005, at the dark and isolated Fort Lewis Ammo Supply Point Crash Gate. After kidnapping, beating, and robbing Jerry on Fox Island, the conspirators brought the hog-tied Jerry to Dunigan’s home in the Tillicum section of Lakewood. Dunigan beat Jerry, and brandished a loaded assault rifle at Jerry before placing it into the car Jerry was riding in. Dunigan and Moore lead the way in one car to the dark Fort Lewis gate area. Jerry had freed himself from his restraints and tried to run away from his captors, but was chased and tackled by conspirator Michael Jordan. Markus Moore then stepped forward and shot Jerry multiple times in the head and neck with a .38 revolver. At GARDNER’s sentencing Judge Leighton noted that he was the only one that had tried to stop the killing, urging JORDAN not to follow Dunigan to Fort Lewis, but instead to drive Jerry away from the gang. At BEACH’s sentencing Judge Leighton said BEACH knew in advance of the plan to kill Jerry and did not intervene even though she had repeated chances, and noted that she knowingly lied to police and destroyed evidence during the investigation of the murder.

This case was primarily investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Lakewood Police Department, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID).

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory Gruber and Kent Liu. The lead FBI agent was Gary France, who received invaluable assistance from Lakewood Officer Jeff Martin.

For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110.

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