PORT TOWNSEND — Michael J. Pierce didn’t flinch Monday afternoon as Clallam County Judge George Wood read off the 11 felony charges he is facing in connection with an arson and double homicide in Quilcene on March 18.
When asked if he understood the charges, he simply answered: “Yes.”
“It wasn’t supposed to go down like that,” he reportedly told an investigator before Monday’s hearing at the Jefferson County Courthouse.
Pierce, 34, of Quilcene appeared in court in Port Townsend via closed-circuit television from Jefferson County jail in Port Hadlock
Pierce was arrested on Saturday night as part of the investigation into the deaths of Patrick Yarr, 60, and Janice Kay Yarr, 57, in their home at 780 Boulton Farm Road, off U.S. Highway 101 north of Quilcene.
He also is charged with starting a fire at the house after the slayings.
Surveillance camera
Pierce was identified by investigators after a surveillance camera at an automated teller machine at a Quilcene bank allegedly recorded him using the Yarrs’ debit card minutes after the blaze began.
The debit card was found with Pierce when he was pulled over by officers on Saturday, the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said.
Along with two murder charges and an arson charge brought against him Monday, Pierce is facing two counts of robbery, one count of burglary, two counts of theft of a firearm, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and one count of identity theft.
The murder, robbery and burglary charges carry possible life sentences.
Pierce said nothing in court, but over the weekend he admitted to investigators that he has knowledge of the crimes.
However, Pierce said he was not the one who shot the Yarrs or started the fire that night.
According to charging documents, Pierce claims another individual — whom he is refusing to name without receiving some type of plea deal — was the one who entered the Yarrs’ home that night, shot them and started the fire.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office has yet to determine the cause of death, but has ruled out the fire.
According to the probable-cause report from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office:
Pierce and an unidentified man went to the Yarrs’ home on March 18 to collect money from Pat Yarr. Pierce said the unidentified man claimed that Yarr owed him wages for work he had done.
Pierce told investigators that he waited down the road as the unidentified man went to collect the money.
Later in the sheriff’s interview, Pierce said he actually waited at the unidentified man’s house for him to return.
Pierce said when the unidentified man returned, he was covered in blood. The unidentified man took his clothes off and burned them.
Pierce said the unidentified man also returned with a rifle.
“Pierce said for immunity, he would tell me the entire story from the time he went to the shooter’s house up to the ATM photo that I had,” wrote Sheriff Detective Mark Apeland in the report.
Suspect knew victims
“He also said he was a friend of Pat and Janice and felt terrible since the incident, and again, said that it wasn’t supposed to go down like that.”
The report also said Pierce began to drop hints to investigators during the interview regarding the identity of the unidentified man.
He said the unidentified man’s last name started with a “B” and he lived on Highway 101 between the Yarrs’ home and Quilcene.
Jefferson County Sheriff Tony Hernandez said his office continues to investigate the crime and the possibility of a second killer.
“We don’t know that there is, for sure, a second guy,” Hernandez said.
“However, we are certainly following up, and we’re still working very hard to investigate the case.”
Hernandez said his office is working with the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and is still in the process of gathering evidence and serving search warrants.
Hernandez also said he believes the public might be the key to the investigation.
“We are still encouraging the public to keep calling,” he said.
“You never know what the significance of what you saw or heard might be. The smallest of things may be very important.”
Hernandez is asking anyone who has information to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 360-385-3831.
Pierce will remain in Jefferson County jail on $250,000 bail. His next appearance in Jefferson County Superior Court is scheduled for April 10 at 8:30 a.m.
Passer-by reports fire
Fire crews were called out to the fire at 8:21 p.m. on March 18 after the blaze was reported by a passer-by who called 9-1-1.
“At the time of the call, flames could be seen coming from the sides and top of the main floor of the daylight basement structure,” a report by the Quilcene fire department said.
Willie Knoepfle, incident commander, said the south half of the house was engulfed when firefighters arrived.
“We were immediately put into a defensive mode to knock the flames down before we could get into the structure,” he said.
Next-day discovery
The next day, the Yarrs’ bodies were discovered in the charred remains of the structure.
Later in the week, it was discovered that the Yarrs were killed before the fire began and that the blaze was set intentionally.
Investigators also discovered that no wallets or purses were found in the residence and two firearms were missing from the home.
A memorial service for the couple will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Oscar Erickson Building of the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 4907 Landes St., Port Townsend.
A potluck reception will follow in the Erickson Building.
Memorial contributions in their memory are suggested to the Washington Contract Loggers Association Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 2168, Olympia, WA 98507-2168.
________
Jefferson County reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
