KENNEWICK — A 67-year-old Kennewick man’s final moments were caught on camera when his ex-girlfriend’s son shot him twice, newly filed court documents show.
Two days later, his body was discovered on the doorstep of a friend of his who was returning things she had borrowed.
According to court documents, video from a neighbor’s security camera showed Mark Juergens yelling at 24-year-old Antonio James Aguilar-Hartman to get out after the young man pulled out a gun.
Both were standing on the porch of the Jurgens’ home at 4108 W. Third Ave. Nov. 17, when Aguilar-Hartman allegedly fired twice, hitting Jurgens in the head.
According to court documents, it was the violent end of a contentious relationship between the men.
While Jurgens was seeing Aguilar-Hartman’s mother, the two men got into numerous arguments about Aguilar-Hartman not working, one of Jurgens’ friends told investigators.
Aguilar-Hartman now faces one count of first-degree intentional homicide in Benton County Superior Court, and the possibility of additional time if he is convicted of using a weapon in a crime.
Kennewick police, along with the U.S. Marshals Task Force and Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputies, arrested him Wednesday at a snowy cabin in Lincoln County.
Jurgens owned a cabin in Davenport, Washington, according to court documents. Aguilar-Hartman’s mother stayed there until their breakup a couple of months ago. It is not known if this is the same place where he was arrested.
Aguilar-Hartman pleaded not guilty to the charges during his initial appearance in Benton County Superior Court Monday afternoon.
Deputy District Attorney Craig Swenson asked for bail at $2 million, noting that Aguilar-Hartman fled the Tri-Cities after the shooting. When he was apprehended, he had two guns strapped to him and 10 fully loaded rounds of ammunition.
“Fortunately, he turned himself in,” Swenson said.
Defense attorney Michael Vander Sys said he would wait until the next hearing to argue for bail.
Court Commissioner Megan Whitmire set bail at $1.5 million, noting that she had set the same amount in a similar, recent homicide case.
Receipt note found
Kennewick police were initially called about Jurgens’ death by a neighbor’s girlfriend who was returning items she had borrowed shortly before 11:15 p.m. on Nov. 19, according to court documents. He was lying on his back in front of the house.
Officers found a 9mm shell casing nearby. An autopsy later revealed he had been shot twice in the head.
When police searched the home, they discovered a call that appeared to be from Aguilar-Hartman’s mother on the day he died.
They also found a receipt that said Aguilar-Hartman used an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle as collateral in May to borrow $500 from Jurgens.
When detectives began looking for Aguilar-Hartman and his mother, they discovered that Kennewick police had contacted them twice, once in May and again in July. Each time they lived in a tent and drove a Dodge Durango.
Security video
A neighbor’s security camera captured the same Dodge Durango arriving near Jurgens’ home around 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 17. The two people who got out matched the descriptions of Aguilar-Hartman and his mother.
About an hour later, the woman left the house and returned to the driver of the SUV.
The video remained silent for the next half hour until an argument could be heard, according to court documents.
“Mr. Jurgens yells, ‘Come on, Jimmy, you goddamn idiot, you pulled a gun on me, get the hell out of here. Get out of here before I call the police,'” according to the probable cause affidavit.
As the argument continues, there were two silhouettes in the frame, one moving toward the door. Jurgens then yells for him to get out of there.
Two shots are then fired and Jurgens falls after the second.
The second man exits the house, walks around the truck in the driveway, and then runs to the passenger side of the SUV.
The driver starts the Durango and asks the man what’s going on, and the man says he’s just driving. The vehicle then drove off, police said.
