$1M bond for Ore. man arrested in partner's death

A deckhand who joined two Oregon men on a July voyage to Ilwaco, Wash., has told police that a bloody fight aboard the fishing vessel ended with the slaying of John Adkins by his business partner, Erin Rieman, court documents say.

Adkins' body has not been found but Oregon State Police on Tuesday arrested Rieman, 47, of Pacific City, Ore., after he was charged in Pacific County, Wash., with second-degree murder and first-degree theft in the disappearance of the 53-year-old Albany, Ore., man.

Rieman was ordered held on $1 million bail at the Tillamook County Jail following a brief hearing Wednesday in Tillamook County Circuit Court on a fugitive warrant.

His court-appointed attorney, Alexander Hamalian of Portland, said he was representing Rieman only for his extradition to Washington state. Another hearing was scheduled for Monday.

On the July 4 weekend, Adkins boarded his 48-foot fishing boat, the Tiger, with Rieman and deckhand Walter Bremmer, 45, in Garibaldi, Ore., and traveled north to Ilwaco. Adkins was last seen July 5 at the Port of Ilwaco. Rieman co-owned the boat and later returned with it to the Garibaldi area.

According to court documents, Bremmer has told police that Adkins' body was tossed into the Pacific Ocean.

Forensic scientists from the Oregon State Police crime lab processed the boat a few days later and found blood belonging to both Adkins and Rieman, according to a probable cause affidavit from Long Beach, Wash., Police Officer Casey Meling. Riemen told police he'd cut his hand during the trip but his account didn't match the evidence, Meling wrote in court documents filed by the Pacific County prosecutor's office.

Both Rieman and Bremmer repeatedly told police they knew nothing about Adkins' disappearance, Meling said. However, Bremmer, tracked down Oct. 19 in Hilo, Hawaii, told a different story. The deckhand said he returned to the boat late on July 5 after a night of drinking to find Rieman punching Adkins and smashing Adkins' head through a window of the boat.

"Bremmer said John stated something to the effect of 'Erin's going to kill me,' " Meling wrote in his affidavit.

Bremmer said Rieman then grabbed a yellow extension cord, wrapped it around Adkins' neck twice and pulled until Adkins died, according to court papers. The deckhand said Rieman took about $5,000 that Adkins had brought along on the trip, and threatened to kill Bremmer and Bremmer's girlfriend if Bremmer didn't help him.

Rieman and Bremmer pretended to look for Adkins on July 6, then departed in the boat. Three miles offshore, Rieman tied some fishing weights to the body, which was wrapped in a sleeping bag, and tossed it into the ocean before continuing the trip back to Garibaldi, the affidavit said.

Meling said Bremmer's latest statement is consistent with the evidence investigators have gathered. He added there has been no activity on Adkins' bank accounts or cell phone since July 5 and his relatives have not heard from him.

Investigators have learned that Adkins spent $30,000 of his own money to buy the boat, forming a business partnership with Rieman and making him co-owner of the boat and business. Adkins had limited knowledge of boats and ocean navigation and relied on Rieman's expertise, the officer wrote.