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Brothers Allegedly Lure Teen On Camping Trip Before Brutally Raping And Murdering Him
Suspect Benito Marquez even posted on social media about his missing friend, Ben Eastman, after he and his brother, Jonathan Adamson, allegedly buried the body.
A pair of brothers have been arrested and charged in connection with the brutal murder of a missing teenager, who authorities say was raped with a stick before he was killed in the state of Washington.
Jonathan R. Adamson, 21, and Benito S. Marquez, 16, were charged with one count each of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, tampering with physical evidence and unlawful disposal of remains, according to The Olympian. They are being held on $10 million dollar bail.
The siblings are accused of sexually assaulting and murdering Ben Eastman III, 16, of Randal, Washington before burying him in a shallow grave. Eastman went missing on June 24 after leaving to visit Marquez, his friend of several years, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Marquez told police Eastman never arrived. Eastman was reported missing by his father last Wednesday.
Acting on a tip, police discovered the body of Eastman in a shallow grave, located on a property which belongs to a relative of the brothers. Above the shallow gave was a cross made of sticks, according to The Olympian. Marquez initially told police that he and Adamson had recently buried a dog there. He even expressed worry for his missing friend on Facebook before Eastman’s body was found.
"The two had planned on assaulting Eastman and lured him to a wooded area under the guise of a camping trip," charging documents state. "Eastman went to the ground and the pair continued to kick and hit Eastman. It was estimated by Adamson the assault lasted between 20 and 45 minutes."
A motive for the attack is unclear.
Adamson allegedly admitted to police that he and his brother kicked Eastman more than 100 times and that they sexually assaulted Eastman with a stick. They also allegedly hit Eastman in the head with a rock. He died of blunt force trauma to the head, according to a medical examiner, KOMO in Seattle reports.
Eastman love camping, fishing and dirt biking, his family said. He was supposed to be a high school junior this fall.
Derek Dunaway, Eastman’s half-brother told KOMO that Eastman had a knack for making people laugh.
"You'd be in a bad mood and he'd just walk in. You'd just be mad as mad as you could be and he'd just crack a smile and make you giggle just over anything always," he said.
[Photo: Facebook]
