VAUGHN, Wash. — The four people involved in the 2020 double homicide of an elderly couple have been sentenced.
In May 2020, Joanna Gormly, 73, and Ted Ralston, 71, were found dead inside their home near Vaughn on the Key Peninsula after the Key Peninsula Fire Department responded to a house fire.
Police were able to determine the fire was arson and ruled the deaths as homicides.
Wednesday, Ezra Fleming Ralston, the 29-year-old grandson of the victims, and three others received lengthy prison sentences for their involvement in the crimes.
According to police, Ralston, his girlfriend, and two friends conspired to kill Gormly and Ted Ralston in order to live in the couple’s home. After killing the couple, the fire was intentionally set to cover up the double murders. Ezra Ralston lived with his grandparents at the time of the crimes.
Ralston was found guilty of two counts of aggravated murder, conspiracy to commit murder and arson in the first degree. He received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Sean Higgins, 26, was convicted of two counts of aggravated murder, conspiracy to commit murder and arson in the first degree. Higgins also received a life sentence without parole.
Spencer Kleine, 26, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and received 45 years in prison.
Rebecka Neubauer, 25, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. She received a sentence of 33 years and 4 months.
When police responded to the scene in 2020, detectives determined a car was missing from the residence. The car was later located at Neubauer’s house. Police said they shifted through a large quantity of evidence, conducted multiple interviews, and used multiple search warrants to identify all four suspects involved.