Murder-for-hire suspect identified

For more than a year he was known as "the other guy," an unnamed suspect in a brutal murder for hire. Now investigators claim J.R. Leather Child, 23, took part in the killing of a father of three after being recruited by the victim's mother-in-law.

Leon Bauchum, 33, was found shot to death and dumped in a ditch on the Key Peninsula near Gig Harbor on July 12, 2012. Bauchum's hands and feet were duct taped. Pierce County sheriff's investigators arrested Bauchum's mother-in-law, Jaqueline Ray, and Luis Barker one month later. Both were charged with first degree murder.

According to charging documents Ray hired Barker and "another guy" to kill Bauchum because Ray believed Bauchum was abusing her daughter to whom he was married.

"She didn't like him being around her daughter and (claimed) he did bad things to her daughter, but there's no proof of that," said Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Detective Ed Troyer.

Child, who was recently arrested on unrelated charges of hit-and-run, illegal drug possession and obstructing a police officer, was ordered held for 72 hours on $1 million bail Monday while prosecutors decide whether or not to charge him in connection with the murder.

"There's still an on-going investigation by law enforcement," said Deputy Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Phil Sorenson.

Child is scheduled to return to court on Wednesday. 

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