[Vision2020] Authorities Hunt for Motive

[Tom]

>From The Lewiston Morning Tribune
Lewiston, Idaho
Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Authorities hunt for motive; Death of UI athlete leaves questions 

By David Johnson

MOSCOW -- A motive remained unclear Tuesday as authorities continued to 
investigate the Sunday shooting death of 19-year-old University of Idaho 
football 
player Eric McMillan in Moscow. 

But there were reports that investigators may be probing, among many rumors, 
the possibility that McMillan was a mistaken target. 

Information also remained sketchy about the two suspects, Matthew R. Wells 
II, 27, and his brother, James J. Wells, 25, both of Seattle. A spokeswoman for 
the Seattle Public Schools said both attended Rainier Beach High School and 
later worked as athletic coaches there. 

James Wells, said Patti Spencer, spokeswoman for Seattle Public Schools, was 
hired as a volunteer assistant football coach at the school this year. Matthew 
Wells had been the head girls track coach at the school in 2002 and 2003, 
according to Spencer. 

The Wells brothers also were good students and good athletes in high school, 
Adrian Conley, 24, a teammate of the pair at Rainier Beach, told the Seattle 
Post-Intelligencer. 

Matthew Wells was an all-league linebacker and recipient of the All Achievers 
Awards sponsored by the Breakfast Group. As a senior in 1996, James Wells was 
a star running back and defensive back in the 1996 state high school football 
playoffs. 

Spokespersons at the school declined comment and referred all questions about 
the shooting to Spencer. 

The brothers, who remain jailed in Whitman County on felony eluding charges, 
have been named in Latah County warrants accusing them of being principles to 
first-degree murder. 

McMillan died early Monday morning of a single gunshot wound to the chest. 
Witnesses at the apartment complex where McMillan lived said they saw two men 
dressed in black and wearing ski masks calmly leave the scene in a late model 
white BMW car. At least one witness said he recorded the license plate number 
of 
the vehicle. 

Three hours later and after a high-speed chase, authorities stopped a car 
matching the description about 150 miles from Moscow at Vantage, Wash. The 
Wells 
brothers were arrested and appeared in Whitman County Superior Court Monday 
afternoon. They are scheduled to be arraigned Friday on the eluding charges. 

The murder charges, meanwhile, won't be filed against the two until the 
Washington case and extradition matters are resolved, according to Latah County 
Prosecutor William Thompson Jr. He said it could be months before the brothers 
are actually brought to Idaho to face charges. The timing, he said, hinges on 
how he and Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy decide to move ahead. 

Moscow Police Chief Dan Weaver, in a Tuesday morning press conference, asked 
anyone with information about the shooting death contact authorities. He said 
the motive and the connection between McMillan, who is originally from Alabama 
and went to high school in California, and the Wells brothers remains 
unclear. Both suspects, according to Weaver, have been appointed attorneys and 
invoked their Fifth Amendment rights to remain silent. 

In Seattle, a spokesman for the King County Superior Court said a check of 
criminal records statewide showed that the brothers had been involved in a 
number of traffic cases, but no serious crimes. 

Ruby Becton of Seattle, the sister-in-law to the brothers, told the Spokesman 
Review newspaper that they had no idea how the two men could be involved. "We 
just can't even imagine that they're in trouble," Becton was quoted as 
saying. "Especially something like this." 

Three Moscow police detectives, Dave Lehmitz, John Lawrence and Scot Gleason, 
continued to scour the apartment area for clues Tuesday afternoon but 
declined comment about what they may have found. "We've talked to just about 
everybody here," Lehmitz said. 

Weaver said authorities have not recovered a weapon and he refused to talk 
about the type or caliber of gun thought to have been used. A witness at the 
apartment complex told the Lewiston Tribune that he saw two men dressed in 
black 
with ski masks leave the scene immediately after two shots were fired and one 
of the men was carrying a handgun. 

Weaver said investigators are still sorting through reports about the black 
clothing, ski masks and whether a single or multiple shots were fired. He said 
there is some indication one shot was followed by an echo. 

Jared Eaton, a resident at the apartment, is credited with speeding McMillan 
to Gritman Medical Center after the victim knocked on his door and said he'd 
been shot. The shooting happened around 5:10 p.m., according to reports, and 
McMillan was pronounced dead around 4 a.m. the next morning. 

The Wells brothers are said to have been sharing an apartment in the south 
part of Seattle. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper quoted a high school 
classmate as saying both brothers were good students and athletes at Rainier 
Beach High School. 

Spencer said records show Matthew Wells graduated in 1996 and James Wells 
transferred out of the school in 1997. 

Weaver said authorities had no indication of why the two came to the Palouse 
or what they were doing prior to the shooting. Asked at the press conference 
whether he thought McMillan knew the brothers, Weaver said, "We don't have any 
idea." Police are also trying to seek information from anyone who may have 
seen the brothers any time prior to the shooting. 

"One of the things we're trying to do is track the movements of the Wells 
brothers," said Weaver. 

The chief said authorities in Washington were busy Tuesday combing the escape 
route the suspects allegedly took along State Highway 26 toward Vantage, 
racing away from pursuing police at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. He 
said several items were seen to be thrown out of the car, including what 
appeared 
to be a duffel bag and perhaps some small baggies. 

"I believe they have found a box of some kind," Weaver said. He declined to 
speculate about whether a possible weapon had been tossed. He said the car had 
been impounded and no weapon had been found inside. 

While the motive remains unclear, Weaver said the connection between McMillan 
and the Wells brothers also remains a "mystery." There have been reports that 
the three might have been at a downtown Moscow nightclub where a disturbance 
occurred Saturday night. It remained unclear whether the suspects or McMillan 
were part of the disturbance. 

Weaver acknowledged some people have expressed fear that the incident is more 
involved and they might be in danger if they speak up. He said police will 
maintain confidentiality with all witnesses. He also played down concerns of 
danger still at hand. 

"I don't think there's adequate reason for people to fear," said Weaver. "We 
don't have any reason to believe anyone else is targeted." He conceded that 
the shooting appears to have been a bold act, since it took place in broad 
daylight and potential witnesses were in the area. 


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