Former Pasco Cop to Face Jury Again in March 2022 After Mistrial

A Spokane County Judge has ruled a former Pasco Police officer will go on trial again in March, 2022.  March 7 is the new date.

WHY DID JUDGE GRANT MISTRIAL IN RICHARD AGUIRRE CASE?

Judge Amy Moreno ruled a mistrial after the jury announced Thursday they could not reach a verdict in the decades-old murder trial of a Spokane prostitute.

Richard Aguirre, a former Pasco Police Officer, and Detective, was being tried for the alleged murder of Ruby Doss, of Spokane, who was found dead in January 1986.

Aguirre, who spent time in the Air Force before getting into law enforcement, was linked to the case a few years ago when his DNA produced a "hit' in CODIS. He was facing sexual assault charges from a case in Pasco-Franklin County and his DNA was taken as part of that case.

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Turns out, his DNA was linked to this decades-old murder.

 WHERE WAS DOSS FOUND?

She was found near a building in a rather rundown area of East Spokane. A lot of evidence was uncovered from the scene including a condom, and its wrapper. Eventually, after another failed trial attempt, prosecutors said they were able to link the DNA on the wrapper itself to Aguirre.  That led to this latest trial.

However, because the jury could not reach a verdict, a mistrial was declared. That doesn't mean they found him not guilty, but were apparently deadlocked. So, the judge said Aguirre will face another trial in March 2022.  The venue for that one is not known.

The trial was moved out of Franklin County due to extensive publicity.