A Centralia man has been charged for allegedly murdering his girlfriend, Rikkey Janee Outumuro, by shooting her in the chest either late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.
The defendant, Cristopher Allen Gaudreau, 28, told Centralia police officers he and Outumuro had gone out drinking Saturday night. Though he said he consumed only two drinks, he said he could not remember anything after approximately 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 30.
He told police he woke up on the floor of his residence in the 800 block of South Gold Street sometime before 8:20 a.m. on Oct. 31 to his 6-year-old son playing video games and found Outumuro on the couch, dead, with bullet wounds to her chest and four bullet casings on the floor.
The Washington State Patrol team examined the scene and found a total of five bullet holes in her chest, according to court documents.
WSP reported Outumuro was in a defensive position, with both arms covering her face.
Gaudreau told police he picked up the four bullet casings, put them on the table, explained to his son that Outumuro was dead, and then took his son to Outumuro’s mother’s residence.
Outumuro’s mother called the police just before 8:20 a.m. on Oct. 31.
Other members of Outumuro’s family arrived at the scene and “became upset towards Christopher” and “gave indications that they believed he was responsible for her death,” according to documents.
They reportedly told police Gaudreau routinely carried a handgun concealed on his hip.
When questioned about his firearms, Gaudreau said he owned a 9mm Zigana handgun and a High Point 9mm carbine rifle, along with other guns, according to court documents. He reportedly indicated he carried the handgun with him while at bars and said it was on his hip when he awoke Sunday morning, but as he had urinated the pants he had been wearing, he changed his pants and had since misplaced the gun, according to court documents.
Police later found the Zigana in a tool chest in the back bedroom of the house, according to court documents. They also located the carbine rifle, a semi-automatic assault-style shotgun and a .22 revolver.
The bullets found in and around the victim’s body were consistent with the ammunition found in the residence and with the ammo Gaudreau said he purchased for his 9mm guns.
Police had recently taken custody of Gaudreau’s Zigana as part of a separate case which involved Gaudreau allegedly discharging the weapon into a tree in the backyard, according to court documents.
Police had returned the weapon to Gaudreau on Oct. 28, three days before Outumuro’s death.
A self-described friend of Gaudreau and Outumuro later reported seeing the couple arguing on the porch of their residence around midnight before the murder. He told police Gaudreau had “fired a couple of shots at him thinking he was a homeless person,” according to court documents.
Police had found shell casings where Gaudreau had reportedly been standing when he fired at the friend.
Gaudreau was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail at 1:15 p.m. on Oct. 31. He has since been charged with first-degree murder, domestic violence.
As the charge is a capital offense and the allegations suggest Gaudreau would pose a substantial risk to community safety if he was released, Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson requested Judge James Lawler issue an order holding Gaudreau without bail. Lawler granted the request.
Gaudreau’s court-appointed defense attorney will be allowed to review Gaudreau’s case and make an argument for bail at a future hearing.
Gaudreau’s next court date is an arraignment hearing scheduled for Nov. 4.
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This article was corrected after the initial report said a neighbor was previously shot at by the suspect in the murder.
