The Vancouver man accused of murdering a Portland man and dumping his body on a remote logging road in Ariel may have been attempting to silence him, according to police records.
A bail hearing for Joseph Klimas III, 45, was set for Monday afternoon over his connection to the shooting of Cesar Reyes, 46, whose body was discovered on Nov. 11 in Ariel, though police believe he was shot in Woodland.
Klimas is suspected of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm.
According to a police report, an inmate in the Cowlitz County Jail tipped off authorities to Reyes' alleged killer, and a recorded jail call alludes to the crime.
Weeks after Reyes' body was found, the Vancouver Police Department contacted the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office about a recorded phone call by Klimas to an inmate facing a murder charge at the Clark County Jail.
During the call, a police report states Klimas said he had "done something similar" to what the inmate was charged with, adding that the person involved was "on vacation." Klimas then began talking about a person named "Pelon," a nickname used by Reyes.
In January, a Cowlitz County Jail inmate — arrested in December for suspected assault and violating the Control Substance Act — told authorities what he knew about the case.
He said Pelon was shot and killed near a slough in the 1100 block of Whalen Road by a suspect driving a white SUV, the report states.
Text messages between the inmate and Klimas the day before Reyes was discovered, reportedly show Klimas offering to buy a gun and full clip of ammunition from the inmate, with plans to meet in the same remote Woodland location the inmate said the murder took place.
At about 1:21 a.m., the day the body was found, Klimas told the inmate he was about 10 minutes out from the site, according to police records.
The inmate said Klimas told him he shot Reyes because Reyes was telling people information he didn't want shared. The report does not explain what the information was.
On the day of the shooting, deputies report finding Reyes' body face down but still warm, with a gunshot wound to the right side of his face, on a logging road near milepost 42 on Lewis River Road, near Lake Merwin in Ariel, about 40 minutes from the reported site of the shooting in Woodland.
Two witnesses also reported seeing a white SUV in the area earlier that morning.
Authorities obtained security camera footage from a nearby business located in the 2200 block of Lewis River Road, the report states, showing a white Ford Explorer heading east on Lewis River Road at about 5:54 a.m., and then heading west at 6:30 a.m.
An autopsy shows Reyes died as a result of a gunshot wound to his head and neck from a large caliber bullet that was recovered from his left shoulder.
