Homicide Suspected In Moses Lake Blasts

EPHRATA, Wash. (AP) — Two fatal explosions within hours in Grant County have been found to be from pipe bombs, and sheriff’s deputies say both are being investigated as homicides.

In the first blast, 69-year-old William Arleigh Walker of Moses Lake died in his workshop east of Moses Lake. Initially investigators said a vehicle battery might be involved, but Undersheriff John Turley now confirms that the explosion was from a pipe bomb.

Early on Aug. 3, 53-year-old Javier Martinez Adame of Moses Lake died in an explosion that apparently came from a pipe bomb in his kitchen north of Moses Lake.

Turley says the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is helping investigators try to determine whether there was any similarity in the blasts.