Hearing reset in Hurst murder
Mouser
SANDPOINT — A preliminary hearing was postponed Wednesday in the case of a Spokane man accused of shooting a Bonner County man to death.
The hearing was continued to allow more time for the defense to obtain discovery materials in the case. The hearing was reset for March 17 at 9 a.m., a setting which suggests it could be a day-long proceeding.
Charged with first-degree murder, Neal Aaron Mouser is being held at the Bonner County Jail with bail set at $1 million.
Mouser, 59, is accused of laying in wait and ambushing Brandon Vern Hurst while Hurst was seated in a vehicle, according to a probable cause affidavit. The killing occurred on Nov. 21, 2020.
The body of Hurst, 38, was discovered by passersby at the bottom of a steep embankment off Caribou Creek Road on Dec. 10, 2020. Hurst's body was partially covered by a tarp and was inside a utility sled that was allegedly pushed down the embankment.
Cantrip Velite Gatens, 28, is accused of luring Hurst to the remote location by claiming she was having mechanical problems with her vehicle. She is charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder for allegedly summoning Hurst to the location so Mouser could kill him, according to court documents.
A cooperating witness to the shooting told investigators that he returned to the scene of the shooting to see if Hurst was still alive. The witness said Hurst appeared to be breathing immediately after the shooting.
Scott Thomas Kachel, 62, is accused of using the sled and an all-terrain vehicle to remove Hurst's body from the crime scene and dumping it down the embankment. He is charged with being an accessory to the slaying.
Preliminary hearings in the cases against Gatens and Kachel are scheduled for March 3. Gatens is being held at the jail with bail set at $750,000. Kachel is free on $50,000 bail.
Keith Kinnaird can be reached at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and followed on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.