A woman was arrested in Spokane Valley Saturday night after detectives say she ran over and killed her husband with her SUV.
Court documents released Monday show detectives developed probable cause to charge 48-year-old Kristy Linerud with Vehicular Homicide and 2nd Degree Murder in the death of her husband, Mike.
Deputies were called to the couple's home on South Hodges in Greenacres Saturday night for a report of a car hitting a person. The victim, Michael Linerud, was in the middle of the street with life-threatening injuries. Linerud's wife told detectives her husband jumped on her SUV as she drove away from the home.
According to court documents, Linerud told detectives she and her husband stopped at a bar on Appleway Saturday night after purchasing a dresser. Linerud said in the span of 30 minutes she drank a cosmopolitan and a lemon drop at the bar. She also told detectives she takes numerous medications and has memory issues, but doctors have not yet figured out why.
Linerud said when she and her husband got home, they began unloading the dresser. She said she heard Mike yell because her son's room was a mess and then throw the nightstand down the stairs. Linerud says she didn't want to deal with that so she got into her SUV and drove away. Linerud says Mike jumped onto her SUV from the passenger side. Linerud told detectives she stopped, drove back to the house and parked the SUV at the house. She then told detectives she walked back to where Mike was and thought he was faking it because she did not think she was driving very fast.
According to court documents, detectives could smell alcohol coming from Linerud's breath and her eyes were red and glassy.
Linerud agreed to a breath test and blew a .078 at 9:01 p.m. Detectives requested and received a search warrant for a blood test.
Kristy Linerud was taken to the Spokane County Jail and booked for Vehicular Assault.
Responding detectives determined there was no indication Michael had jumped onto the hood of the passenger side of the SUV, but do believe evidence shows there was a direct impact on the driver side front bumper area. Detectives noted in court documents that they believe Michael Linerud was in front of the SUV and Kristy "reasonably should have been able to stop" prior to hitting Michael.
Michael Linerud died the next night as a direct result of his injuries sustained in the collision. As a result, detectives believe there is probable cause to charge Kristy Linerud with Vehicular Homicide and 2nd Degree Murder.
(story & image: KHQ.com)