The double homicide in Battle Ground on Tuesday, June 3, involved a man killing his estranged wife and her new partner and then turning a knife on himself, according to Clark County Superior Court documents.
The Battle Ground Police Department has enough evidence for probable cause for 40-year-old Evaristo “Junior” Vela to be charged with a count of first-degree aggravated murder, domestic violence, and a count of first-degree aggravated murder. He remains at a hospital in Portland,
On Thursday, June 5, the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victims in the stabbing in the 2100 block of Northeast Second Avenue as Tiffany Vela, 37, of Battle Ground, and Spencer Jones, 37, of unknown town residence. The medical examiner said the two died of “multiple sharp force injuries.” Their deaths were ruled homicides.
The probable cause document states that Evariso Vela had separated from Tiffany Vela and that friends and relatives said she was starting a relationship with Jones. Evaristo Vela and Tiffany Vela had two children together, according to documents.
The document states that Evaristo Vela called a relative and said that he was going to kill himself, and the relative told police she believed he said he might have hurt Tiffany. The relative arrived at the house to find the two lying on the ground and Evaristo Vela stabbing himself, including a self-inflicted stab wound to the neck, according to the probable cause document.
On the day of the stabbing, Battle Ground Police Chief Dennis Flynn confirmed a familial relationship between two involved in the stabbing.
A silver knife covered in suspected blood was collected from the scene but appeared not to match any in the kitchen at the home. Investigators later executed a search warrant of Evaristo’s Vancouver apartment and found a cutlery block missing a knife, the probable cause document states. The style of knives matched the one recovered from the Battle Ground homicide scene.
A white Ford Maverick pickup truck, determined to belong to Evaristo Vela, was parked three houses away on Northeast Second Avenue.
The incident occurred in a neighborhood still under construction, with few homes occupied. However, the residence where the incident took place had been occupied for the last month or two, Flynn said on Tuesday.
It’s the first homicide in Battle Ground in eight years, Flynn told The Reflector on Thursday.
The case will now be forwarded to the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review and charge determination.
