Medical examiner identifies man who was found dead at Red Top Motel, rules death as homicide
Jun. 22—The Spokane County Medical Examiner's Office identified 63-year-old John Trendowicz as the man killed June 10 at the Red Top Motel in Spokane Valley.
Trendowicz died from "sharp force injuries of the head, neck, torso, and left upper extremity," the medical examiner's office announced. It ruled the death a homicide.
Michael R. Perry, 48, was charged with second-degree murder and remained Thursday at the Spokane County Jail on a $1 million bond.
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.
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.
The sheriff's office said in documents the tattoos and "distinctive beard" of the man in the surveillance image matched Perry's previous jail booking photo.
Police officers found blood in Perry's hair and he had a fixed-blade knife when he was arrested. Perry's hands were red and swollen, and he had small cuts and abrasions on his hands and body, according to police.
