Aggravated 1st Degree Murder Plea Entered on Powell Road Investigation from June

Sheriff Bill Mahoney says its one more example of the great cooperation among local law enforcement agencies.

The state of Washington does not release photos of inmates or convicts, allowing the public no chance to know what they look like, as the taxpayer foots the bill for their arrest, conviction and subsequent incarceration.

(KELSO, Wash.) - The Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office announced today that Matthew Wayne Fillmore, a 21-year old Tacoma resident, pled guilty to Aggravated Murder 1st degree last week in Pierce County Superior Court.

On June 17, 2008, Cowlitz County investigators responded to a location on Powell Road, just outside of Castle Rock, where the body of the victim, Jerry Shirk, had been found.

The investigation quickly took detectives to Pierce County find their suspect. Detective Pat Schallert began working with Pierce County detectives to finally locate and arrest Fillmore, the victim's roommate.

It was alleged that Fillmore killed Shirk in Pierce County and transported the victim to Powell Road where he dumped the body.

Chief Criminal Deputy Charlie Rosenzweig once again praised Schallert and other Cowlitz County investigators for their excellent work in this investigation.

This case became more difficult when another unrelated death investigation was located the same day in the Kalama area.

Sheriff Bill Mahoney says its one more example of the great cooperation among local law enforcement agencies that help get them through times like these.

Mahoney said that it was through Chief Rosenzweig's coordination of the simultaneous homicide investigations that helped lead to this conclusion.

"Chief Rosenzweig, Sgt Reiss, Detective Schallert and others deserve a lot of credit for the quick and thorough investigation" said Mahoney.

Fillmore is set for sentencing on June 5th in Pierce County.

Source: Cowlitz County Sheriff