Appeals court affirms murder conviction of former Pasco police officer

SPOKANE — The Washington State Court of Appeals has affirmed the first-degree murder conviction of former Pasco police officer Richard Aguirre, upholding his conviction in the 1986 killing of 27-year-old Ruby Doss.

In an unpublished opinion, Division Three of the State Court of Appeals rejected Aguirre’s arguments challenging the admissibility of DNA evidence and the sufficiency of proof regarding premeditation. Aguirre had argued that DNA evidence derived from a condom recovered at the crime scene and an evidence bag tested decades later was unreliable. However, the appellate court ruled that the trial court properly exercised its gatekeeping duties and that any minor evidentiary gaps went to the weight of the evidence rather than its admissibility. Furthermore, the court found that evidence of a pursuit covering over 200 feet, multiple severe blows to the head, and prolonged strangulation amply supported a finding of premeditation.

The ruling marks the latest developments in a cold case spanning nearly four decades. On Jan. 30, 1986, Doss was found beaten and strangled in an industrial area of Spokane. At the time, Aguirre was an active-duty Air Force member stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base.

The case lay dormant for decades until 2015, when a national DNA database hit matched Aguirre’s DNA profile to evidence recovered from the scene. According to court documents, Aguirre, who had later served as an officer with the Pasco Police Department, made statements to former colleagues and acquaintances acknowledging sexual contact with Doss and admitting to violent altercations with a woman during that era.

Following a bench trial, Aguirre was sentenced in March 2024 to 25 years (300 months) in prison.

File photo of Washington State Court of Appeals Division III building in Spokane

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Elkhorn Media Group