2 Fugitives Wanted In WA State Killing Found In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Two people arrested on suspicion of concocting a romance scheme that allegedly led to them killing a Washington State senior are being extradited from Riverside County.

Philip James Brewer, 32, and Christina Joel Hardy, 47, were arrested Thursday in Blythe on suspicion of murder in the death of 74-year-old Curtis Engeland of Mercer Island, Washington.

The duo became acquainted with Engeland several months ago, subsequently stealing from him and violently confronting him at his home on Feb. 23, according to the Mercer Island Police Department.

Reporting from the Washington Fox affiliate channel 13 found that Brewer used the dating app, Scruff, to gain Engeland's trust. The two men talked for about a week before their first date in January, when Engeland invited Brewer over for a movie.

Engelmen fell asleep, and when he woke up, his wallet, cell phone, house keys, car keys, driver's license and social security card were gone. So was Brewer.

Brewer and Hardy stole thousands of dollars from Engeland’s accounts, bought a car with his money, and pawned off his cell phone, Fox13 reported.

Then on Feb. 23, Brewer and Hardy allegedly went to Engeland's home and injected him with fentanyl in order to kill him. They loaded him in his vehicle and drove about 111 miles to Cosmopolis, Washington, to hide the body. At the dumpsite, they discovered Engeland was still alive, so they stabbed him in the neck, according to the Fox13 report.

Engeland's family reported him missing on Feb. 24, according to Mercer Island police. Initially, the case was investigated as a missing person. A Silver Alert was issued by the Washington State Patrol. Later investigation revealed Engeland was killed and the suspects had fled the area, police said.

Engeland's body was found in Cosmopolis on March 11. The Medical Examiner's office determined he died from "sharp force injury of the neck."

"Detectives believe the suspects left Washington State quickly after the victim was killed and fled south, rented different vehicles, and swapped out new cell phones to cover their path," according to Mercer Island police.

Detectives worked to get arrest warrants for Brewer and Hardy without alerting the pair that they were being tracked.

Law enforcement in Washington alerted their Southern California counterparts, letting them know the duo was in the area. Around 1 a.m. March 14, Blythe police officers stopped a vehicle in the 500 block of North Sola Avenue because it matched a description provided of the suspects' vehicle, police said.

Brewer and Hardy were inside. The two were arrested and booked into Riverside County jails.

As of Tuesday afternoon, jail records show Hardy was still at Banning's Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility. Brewer is being held at Indio's John Benoit Detention Center pending the extradition.

They are each expected to face a murder charge.

Friends and family remember Engeland as a kind person. Mercer Island neighbor Laurie Goeke told KIRO News Radio he was "a very, very special person. An avid gardener and a hiker" who lived alone after his husband passed away a few years ago.