3 plead guilty in murder-for-hire plot

SPOKANE, Wash. — Three men have pleaded guilty in federal court in the murder-for-hire slaying of a Spokane businessman that arose from business dealings in the North Dakota oil patch.

The case involved the shooting death of Doug Carlile in his upscale Spokane home nearly two years ago.

On Wednesday, Timothy Suckow, Robert Delao and Lazaro Pesina changed their pleas to guilty on various charges in the case. Suckow admitted to being the gunman who shot Carlile in December 2013.

Suckow, 51, listened to details of his crimes with his head in his hands.

“The truth must be told,” Suckow told U.S. District Court Judge Salvador Mendoza, moments before he pleaded guilty to performing murder-for-hire in the deaths of Carlile and Kristopher “K.C.” Clarke.

Prosecutors will recommend a 30-year prison sentence for Suckow, contingent upon providing testimony against James Henrikson and others.

“I was told by Mr. Henrikson, through (Robert) Delao, that Mr. Carlile was to be murdered for $20,000,” Suckow told the judge.

The Spokesman-Review reported that Suckow, Pesina and Delao will be sentenced on December 8.

Suckow told Mendoza “no one else was there” when he shot Carlile seven times in his home.

Prosecutors contend Henrikson was enraged that Carlile would not give up his shares in an oil lease on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota and owed him nearly $2 million.

He called on Suckow, according to a grand jury indictment and prosecutors, because the Spokane Valley resident had killed before, bludgeoning Clarke to death, prosecutors said. Suckow told investigators they buried Clarke’s body at a nearby state park, but the body has yet to be found, according to court records.

Henrikson, who is accused of masterminding the slayings, has asked that his trial be moved out of Spokane because of extensive publicity. He faces charges of ordering the killings of Carlile and Clarke, one of his former trucking company employees.

Prosecutors said Delao, who gave Suckow the order to kill Carlile via text message, pleaded guilty to nine federal charges, including murder for hire and conspiracy to commit murder. Prosecutors recommended a sentence of up to 17 years in prison.

Pesina, who was present outside the Carlile home for the shooting but said he didn’t realize it was going to end in murder, pleaded guilty to a racketeering charge. Prosecutors recommended a 12-year sentence.

The judge does not have to abide by the plea deals during sentencing, but if he opts for a different sentence, either party could pull out of the deal.

At the beginning of the day, it appeared only Henrikson would be seated at the defense table when the trial is scheduled to commence in Spokane on Oct. 5.

But Todd Bates, who is accused of discussing plots to kill four of Henrikson’s business rivals stemming from oil speculation in North Dakota, did not convince Mendoza that his guilty plea was willful. At a hearing Wednesday morning, Bates said he remembered discussing assault with Delao at the direction of Henrikson, not murder. He told Mendoza he was dyslexic.

A fifth defendant, Robby Wahrer, who is accused of driving Suckow and Pesina to the Carlile home, chose not to plead guilty after Bates was excused from the courtroom.

Henrikson was brought back to Spokane from the Yakima County Jail for the hearing. He was moved to Yakima last month following a suspected jailbreak attempt in Spokane.

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Dec. 1

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

Juneau Assembly members, city administrative leaders and other officials gather for the Assembly’s annual retreat where they discuss policy and budget goals for the coming year in the Juneau International Airport’s conference room on Dec. 2, 2023. This year’s retreat is scheduled Saturday at the same location. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
CBJ’s budget being squeezed by lots of requests for extra funds, finance director warns

City ended FY24 with extra $10M in bank, but Assembly spent extra $6.5M during first five months of FY25.

A recount of ballots from the Nov. 5 election is observed Wednesday morning by Alaska Division of Elections officials and participants in a challenge to the outcome of a measure to repeal ranked choice voting in the state. The recount at the division director’s office in Juneau began Tuesday and is expected to last up to 10 days. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Recount for ranked choice ballot measure begins under watchful eyes of attorneys

Relative handful of oddly marked ballots questioned, few of those “quarantined” for further scrutiny.

Rose Burke, 9, a fourth-grade student from Kenai, flips the switch to illuminate the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree during a ceremony Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., as U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson watches next to her. (Screenshot from C-SPAN broadcast)
U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree from Wrangell decorated with 10,000 ornaments made by Alaskans is lit

Rose Burke, 9, of Kenai, flips the switch after reading her essay about the tree during ceremony Tuesday.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew conducts an on-scene search for five missing people after the fishing vessel Wind Walker was reported to have capsized near Courverden Point Sunday. The combined searches covered over 108 square nautical miles within a span of 24 hours. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Cmdr. Paul Johansen)
Coast Guard releases names of five people lost in fishing vessel sinking

Coast Guard District 17 headquarters said today that next of kin of… Continue reading

Traffic navigates a busy intersection covered with ice and slush on Monday afternoon. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)
Pedestrian critically injured by truck sliding off road near ferry terminal; driver arrested for DUI

Collision on Monday night comes as Juneau’s roads remain hazardous after weekend snowstorm

Three cruise ships are docked along Juneau’s waterfront on the evening on May 10, 2023, as a Princess cruise ship on the right is departing the capital city. A “banner” year for tourism in 2023, when a record 1.65 million cruise passengers visited the state, lifted workers’ average wages in the Southeast region, the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development reported. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Wages for Alaska workers are up, but total jobs remain lower than pre-pandemic levels

The average hourly wage in Alaska was $33.60 in 2023, putting the… Continue reading

Jeff Campbell moves a Santa figurine into the front yard of his annual Christmas-themed holiday house on West 11th Street in the downtown neighborhood known as The Flats on Thursday, Nov. 28. Campbell begins the decorating after removing Halloween fare and usually turns on the lights in December. Campbell has created this masterpiece annually for over 30 years. Besides Santas, the display includes candy canes, drummer boys, nativity scenes, reindeer and Disney and Winnie the Pooh characters and some of his own creations. He also has thousands of lights and speakers wired to play Christmas music and his electricity bill doubles over the display’s longevity. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
An icebreaker, a world-premiere play, a new ski season and holiday events galore arriving at week’s end

Gallery Walk, landmark anniversary for “Nutcracker,” Mexican holy feast day among seasonal celebrations.

Marzena Whitmore (elf) and Dale Hudson (Santa), pose for a photo with Benny Orvin (partially obscured), 6, and his siblings Lilly, 4, and Remi, 2, taken by their mother Alex as their father Randy watches during last year’s Gallery Walk in downtown Juneau on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Here’s what’s happening at this year’s Gallery Walk on Friday

More than 50 locations in downtown Juneau hosting performances, exhibits and other activities.

Most Read