A 30-year-old Thurston County man is being held in lieu of $2 million bail for allegedly killing his 82-year-old mother.
Deputies arrested Adam D.J. Cunningham on suspicion of second-degree murder and possession of a stolen motor vehicle on Wednesday. He attended his preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court on Thursday afternoon.
Court Commissioner Nathan Kortokrax found probable cause for the alleged crimes and set the bail amount. In doing so, he determined there was substantial danger that Cunningham would committee a violent crime if released.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Christina Garcia asked Kortokrax to set no bail or at least $1 million bail given the severity of the crime.
Surveillance footage and a witness placed Cunningham at the home the morning his mother died, Garcia said. Cunningham also made questionable statements in an interview with detectives, she alleged.
“In the state’s perspective, your honor, it was clear the defendant was present at the home at the time that she died,” Garcia said. “He lied about his presence there.”
Kevin Griffin, Cunningham’s public defense attorney, said the state’s initial investigation lacked clear evidence tying Cunningham to the murder. He asked for bail to be set at $50,000, saying that amount would likely keep him in custody given his financial situation.
Garcia admitted the evidence appeared circumstantial, but she said it was enough to establish probable cause for holding Cunningham in custody.
Cunningham had one prior conviction for first-degree robbery in Thurston County. Garcia said the state Department of Corrections released him in December, but he later returned to their custody due to a violation.
He was released again on Sept. 9, five days before his mother was found dead.
A probable cause statement describes the investigation into the alleged murder from the perspective of law enforcement.
On Wednesday, Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a possible homicide at a home on the 7100 block of Glen Annie Lane Southwest, near the Delphi Golf Course southwest of Black Lake.
The statement says a family member called 911 to report she found the victim dead in her bedroom. The victim was reportedly found face down with blood on her face and clothing.
When the coroner arrived, he found a laceration on her neck. Detectives observed items strewn about the room and several dressers had been pulled out, according to the probable cause statement.
Detectives noticed two chairs pulled out at the dining table that were slightly facing each other. They also noted a box of tissues and a pile of used tissues, which they assumed meant someone had been crying.
A neighbor reportedly told detectives he saw Cunningham leave the home about 9 a.m., and drive away in a gray truck they believed belonged to Cunningham’s father.
The statement says video surveillance from the Delphi Golf Club showed the car arrive at 8:23 a.m. and leave at 9:09 a.m.
On Sunday, deputies had responded to a suspicious vehicle call at a home on Blubyrd Lane Northwest, off Steamboat Island and Gravelly Beach roads. The resident told deputies his son had seen an unknown car parked in his driveway and he suspected his other son, Adam Cunningham, may have entered the home without permission.
When deputies investigated, they found the father’s car was missing from the garage and the unknown vehicle in the driveway was registered to Adam Cunningham. The missing vehicle was a gray 2006 Toyota Tundra, according to the statement.
Detectives connected the stolen truck to the murder investigation and began searching for Cunningham. With help from the Olympia Police Department, detectives arrested Cunningham later that day.
In an interview with detectives, Cunningham reportedly said he talked to his mom over the phone from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. the day she died and denied being there.
Detectives noted he said he knew what his mother was watching on the television that day and details about her dogs despite saying he hadn’t been there in months.
When told his mother died, the statement says he never asked how she died and instead made a comment about her being murdered by someone else.
