Double murder suspect waives hearing

SANDPOINT — A Priest River man accused of stabbing his pregnant wife to death and killing their unborn child waived his right Wednesday to a preliminary hearing.

Jeremy Keith Swanson’s waiver amounts to tacit agreement that the prosecution has enough evidence to justify trying him on two counts of first-degree murder.

Swanson is scheduled to be arraigned in 1st District Court on April 15. He remains held at the Bonner County Jail without bail.

Magistrate Court Judge Justin Julian methodically advised Swanson of his rights during the proceeding. Swanson politely answered that he understood and Julian accepted the waiver as being entered knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily.

Swanson, 27, is accused of killing Jennifer Bosch-Swanson as she lay in bed at their Priest River home in Dec. 18, 2012. The attack also killed the couple’s fetus, which was in utero 15-18 weeks, according to court documents.

Jennifer Bosch-Swanson’s friends and family watch Wednesday’s proceedings from the courtroom gallery. They had no comment after the brief hearing concluded.

Swanson called Bonner Dispatch to report the killings and admitted to committing them during interviews with Priest River Police and sheriff’s deputies, according to court documents.

Swanson initially told investigators that the attack was not premeditated, although Internet search histories on a home computer suggested that he consulted several websites on ways to kill with kitchen utensils prior to the attack.

Court records indicate there is also security camera footage from a Priest River hardware store where Swanson purchased an ice pick. The purchase occurred after Swanson left work at Thorne Research in Dover and before he returned to the couple’s Harriet Street home.

The couple’s 18-month-old daughter was in their Harriet Street home when the killings occurred, but was not involved in the attack.

A college fund for Gabrielle Ephony Swanson has been established at Spokane Teachers Credit Union.