Man found dead at Red Top Motel had multiple stab wounds, court records say

Jun. 17—A man who was found dead last weekend at the Red Top Motel had multiple stab wounds to his neck, torso and arm, according to court documents.

Michael R. Perry was charged on suspicion of second-degree murder and remained Saturday night at the Spokane County Jail on a little more than $1 million bond.

The Spokane County Medical Examiner's Office has not released the name of the victim and how he died.

According to court documents, a motel employee told police he heard arguing coming from one of the motel rooms about 1 1/2 hours before the body was found in the room on the afternoon of June 10.

The employee told police he entered the room with another employee and found the body, which had been placed in the shower with the water running.

A deputy responded to the room around 1:50 p.m. to investigate the reported death, documents say. He said he found the body of a partially clothed older white man in the shower and noticed blood in the room.

Employees at the Trent Resource and Assistance Center, 2 miles west of the motel, identified the suspect as Perry after police showed them a picture of the suspect from a motel surveillance camera, court records show. Perry had a bed at the shelter, the employees told police.

Perry had been booked into the Spokane County Jail on May 24 and was released that day, a deputy said in documents.

The deputy said the man in the surveillance image had a distinct marking on his left cheek and he noticed Perry had two tattoos on his left cheekbone in his jail booking photo. The man had a "distinctive beard" in both images as well, documents say.

On the day of the alleged killing, a man at Felts Field noticed smoke coming from near the riverbank and discovered a man was burning the only clothes he had with him, he told police. The man burning clothes told the witness his name was "Michael" and that someone burned his clothes while he was swimming.

The witness told police he gave Michael, who had a long beard and tattoos on his face, sweatpants and a long-sleeve shirt. He said Michael asked him for a ride back to the Trent shelter.

After watching the news about the death investigation at the motel, the witness said he wondered if the man he contacted by the river was the suspect in the death investigation. He contacted law enforcement and directed them to where he had located the man and his fire pit.

Later that day, police found Perry on North Waterworks Street near the shelter, walking toward Trent Avenue, according to documents.

Perry was wearing the same sweatpants and long-sleeved shirt the man had provided him earlier. Police arrested Perry.

Perry told police he was at the motel that morning and then requested an attorney, documents say. Police found blood in Perry's hair but didn't notice injuries on his head.

Perry was carrying two clear plastic baggies, which contained several items, when he was arrested, police said in documents. One of the two bags had a fixed-blade knife.

Perry's hands were red and swollen and he had small cuts and abrasions on his hands and body, according to police. Perry's belongings also included two tattoo machines, cigarette papers and a bag of tobacco.

Police located two empty boxes for tattoo machines and cigarette papers between the fire pit and the riverbank, police said.