Man Connected To Marin County Campground Homicide Found Dead
DILLON BEACH (CBS SF) -- The Tehama County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of a 53-year-old man who was in a relationship with the 19-year-old homicide victim at Lawson's Landing campground in Marin County on March 20.
Eric Wayne Gillespie is believed to have committed suicide, Tehama County Sheriff Dave Hencratt said Thursday morning.
Gillespie's body was found on the side of Bowman Road in Cottonwood. The coroner's office responded to the death around 8:30 a.m. Monday, Hencratt said.
The cause of death is pending toxicology reports, but foul play is not suspected, Hencratt said.
Gillespie lived in a trailer at the Lawson's Landing campground in Dillon Beach with 56-year-old Ken Patrick Neville and 19-year-old Stachaun Tyking Jackson, who also lived in Guerneville.
Gillespie and Neville lived in the trailer since June 2013 and Jackson, initially a guest, moved into the trailer about a month later, according to Carl Vogler, co-owner of the campground.
Neville was arrested for fatally shooting Jackson at the trailer around 2:30 a.m. on March 20. He has been charged with murder and personal and intentional use of a firearm. He is scheduled to enter a plea in Marin County Superior Court on April 8.
Jackson allegedly threatened Neville and Gillespie with a knife the morning of the shooting, and when one of the men called 911, Jackson told him to call the sheriff's office and cancel the 911 call, said a source in the Marin County Sheriff's Office who did not want to be identified.
Gillespie gave Neville a .38 caliber revolver, and when Jackson lunged toward Neville, Neville allegedly shot Jackson outside the trailer, the source said.
The sheriff's office had previously responded to domestic disturbances at the trailer. No one was arrested, and Neville had recently asked the sheriff's office to tell Jackson to stay away from the trailer, the source said.
At the time of his death, Jackson faced a misdemeanor charge of possession of metal knuckles and an infraction of the health and safety code for possession of marijuana in Sonoma County Superior Court. He pleaded not guilty to the offenses that occurred on July 8, 2013.
A hearing on a motion to suppress evidence was scheduled for April 24.
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