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Date: 08-04-2014

Case Style: United States of America v. David Joseph “Joey” Pedersen

Case Number: 3:12-cr-00431-HA

Judge: Ancer L. Haggerty

Court: United States District Court for the District of Oregon (Multnomah County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: Jane Shoemaker, Hannah Horsley and Geoffrey Barrow

Defendant's Attorney: Richard L. Wolf for David Joseph Pedersen

Laurie Bender and Kathleen M. Correll for Holly Ann Grigsby

Lisa J. Ludwig

Description: PORTLAND, OR – David Joseph “Joey” Pedersen, 34, of Portland, was sentenced today to life in prison, without possibility of release, for carjackings resulting in the death of Cody Faye Myers, of Lafayette, Oregon, and Reginald Alan Clark, of Eureka, California in October 2011. U.S. District Judge Ancer L. Haggerty imposed two life sentences, to be served concurrently. Pedersen was previously convicted and sentenced to life in prison in Snohomish County, Washington for the related murders of his father, David Jones “Red” Pedersen, and stepmother, Leslie Mae “Dee Dee” Pedersen in September 2011.

Holly Ann Grigsby, 27, of Portland, was sentenced to life in prison, without possibility of release, on July 15, 2014, for conducting and participating in a pattern of racketeering activity, which included all four of those murders. Grigsby was not previously convicted or sentenced for any of the murders.

​“Justice has been served. Both of these misguided killers will spend the rest of their lives in prison to account for these heinous murders,” said U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall. “And because they did not act alone, the related prosecutions punish those who helped them by providing a firearm, disposing of evidence and harboring them in the middle of this ruthless crime spree. While much attention has been paid to the outrageous acts, and vitriolic words spewed by these two defendants, it’s important that we remember that these victims were human beings – son, brother, uncle, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, father, grandfather, friend – they loved and were loved, and their loss can never be undone. In addition, because these killings were done in furtherance of a greater evil plan fueled by hate, they have harmed people in many different communities. We hope the resolution of the criminal case allows the victims’ loved ones to move beyond the frustrations of the courtroom and go forward as they redefine their lives.”

All four murders occurred during a 10-day crime spree that spanned from Everett, Washington to Eureka, California. Pedersen and Grigsby intended to embark on a white-supremacist mission to kill Jewish leaders, but they were stopped by a California Highway Patrol officer before that happened. Instead, they engaged in a series of robberies and carjackings to gather firearms and cars to further their mission. After murdering Pedersen’s father in Everett, Washington, they robbed and brutally murdered his wife, Dee Dee Pedersen. They then fled to Oregon, where they sought assistance and refuge at the home of Corey Wyatt and his then-fiancé, Kimberly Scott, in Springfield, Oregon. Wyatt and Scott led Pedersen and Grigsby to a secluded area near Lebanon, Oregon, where Pedersen, Grigsby and Wyatt pushed Red Pedersen’s stolen Jeep, with his body still inside, over an embankment. The next day, Wyatt and Scott drove Pedersen and Grigsby to the Oregon coast and dropped them off to pursue their white-supremacist mission. Near Newport, Oregon, Pedersen and Grigsby carjacked Cody Faye Myers and murdered him to eliminate a witness and avoid capture. They drove to California in Myers’ car, intending to pursue their mission in Sacramento. Now wanted for murder and concerned they were driving a stolen car, Pedersen and Grigsby carjacked and murdered Reginald Clark in Eureka, California to obtain another car for their mission and eliminate a witness.

Corey Eugene Wyatt, 29, of Springfield, Oregon, and his wife Kimberly Scott Wyatt, 33, now of Junction City, Oregon were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Garr M. King for being accessories after the fact to Pedersen and Grigsby’s transportation of Red Pedersen’s stolen vehicle. Corey Wyatt was also convicted for transferring a firearm to Pederson which, unbeknownst to Wyatt, was later used to murder Red Pedersen, Cody Myers and Reginald Clark. As convicted felons, neither Pedersen nor Wyatt could purchase a firearm, and Wyatt used his wife to obtain the firearm. Corey Wyatt was sentenced to a total of 100 months in prison on July 8, 2014. Judge King sentenced Kimberly Scott Wyatt to five years of probation on July 30, 2014.

Bryce Woods, 30, of Portland, has been convicted for an attempted carjacking he committed with Pedersen in September 2011, in which Pedersen used the same firearm he obtained from Wyatt. A sentencing hearing is scheduled before U.S. District Judge Marco A. Hernandez on September 22, 2014.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jane Shoemaker, Hannah Horsley and Geoffrey Barrow.

Outcome: See above

Plaintiff's Experts:

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