PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — A man and three of his friends received long prison sentences for killing his grandparents at their Key Peninsula-area home.
Joanna Gormly, 73, and 71-year-old Ted Ralston were murdered on May 17, 2020, before their home was torched in a plot to cover up the crime.
According to Pierce County deputies, witnesses reported hearing an explosion at the house, and it was engulfed in flames when first responders arrived.
Crews from Key Peninsula Fire found the couple dead in the basement.
Detectives with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said the victims’ live-in grandson and some of his friends came up with a scheme to kill his grandparents so they could set up a commune on their waterfront property in Vaughn.
After combing through a large amount of evidence, executing search warrants, and holding countless interviews, detectives identified four suspects.
All four either pleaded guilty or were convicted by a jury.
The victims’ grandson, 29-year-old Ezra Fleming Ralston, was convicted of two counts of aggravated murder, conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree arson. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Sean Higgins, 26, was convicted of two counts of aggravated murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He received a mandatory life sentence without parole.
Spencer Kleine, also 26, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison.
Rebecka Neubauer, 25, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. She was sentenced to 33 years and 4 four months in prison.
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