The 33-year-old man accused of murdering a woman alongside I-90 near Ritzville in eastern Washington made his first court appearance in Adams County Superior Court Tuesday. But that was not the most startling revelation. (Suspect being led into Adams County Jail-KNDU TV)

According to new information from our News Partner KNDU-TV, Manual Argomaniz Camargo, told investigators he and the as yet unnamed female victim, had left Chicago over the weekend, with the intent to sell a pound of meth in Washington state. They had their 3-year-old child with them.

Camargo told officials he was high on meth, and though the woman was a "witch"!  He said he began to feel strange after repeated drug use during the trip, and began to accuse her of using witchcraft to control their car.

He claimed she went for a knife in the console, so he pulled over, dragged her from the car, hit her twice with a hammer. He also tried to tape her to the wheel and brace the gas pedal with a rock so the vehicle would speed off and drag her with it, but the tape failed to stick.

I-90 murder scene near Ritzville (KNDU-TV)
I-90 murder scene near Ritzville (KNDU-TV)
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He then stabbed her with a screwdriver in the heart. Officials say when they contacted him alongside the road after receiving a 911 call, the three year old child with him, apparently the child he had with the woman, ran to officers. The female victim was found near the car, with her hands bound with duct tape, the screwdriver in her heart and one eye swollen shut.

Washington state troopers received the 911 call around 3am, and a passer-by who pulled over to assist them before troopers arrived said a shirtless Camargo and the child ran away. Camargo was covered in blood when reached by officers further down the Interstate. He also apparently said he tried to burn the car by sticking his shirt down the gas tank and igniting it, but it failed to burn. He had apparently planned to leave her in the car if it caught fire.

Prior to the latest information, he had reportedly denied any connection to the woman's murder. His bail has been set at $2 million dollars, and Adams County officials have until Thursday to formally charge him with the crimes.

 

 

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