His brother is doing life for a Pasco murder. Prosecutors say he helped hide him

The older brother of a convicted killer has been charged with helping him evade capture by Pasco police for a almost a month.

The felony filing against Michael D. Anderson III comes about three years after he was arrested with his brother, DeShawn I. Anderson.

It’s also weeks shy of when the statute of limitations would have run out on the alleged crime.

Michael Anderson, 23, of Finley did not appear as scheduled Tuesday in Franklin County Superior Court.

Judge Cameron Mitchell agreed to move the hearing to Nov. 14 so authorities have more time to serve him with the first-degree rendering criminal assistance paperwork.

During Michael Anderson’s first court appearance in December 2014, a judge agreed to release him from the county jail without bail because he had no felony history. Prosecutors opted not to charge him.

Since then, his brother has been serving a sentence of almost 94 years for shooting at four men in a parked car and later killing another man.

The two co-defendants, husband-and-wife Kenyatta K.E. Bridges and Mary A. Faucett, each are serving more than 10 years in prison for their roles in the death of Lorenzo “Richie” Fernandez Jr.

Deputy Prosecutor Maureen Astley said she and former colleague Brian Hultgrenn wanted to wrap up those cases first before charging Anderson because he was a potential witness in all three cases.

Anderson did testify in his brother’s trial in July 2016.

DeShawn Anderson, then 18, sparked a series of gang shootings in Pasco when he opened fire on a parked car on Nov. 18, 2014.

Anderson, and a second unknown suspect, were on foot when they ambushed the car, firing 21 shots. Three men received serious injuries and the fourth was grazed by a bullet.

Anderson quickly was named as a person of interest.

The following night, two men shot at a car on a dark street. It was believed to be in retaliation for the previous night’s events on West Margaret Street.

Anderson’s friend, Anthony Guerrero, died hours after that second shooting. Anderson’s cousin and a third man also were hit, but survived their injuries.

Then on Dec. 3, 2014, Faucett lured Fernandez to an apartment complex under the guise they were going to have sex. Fernandez was gunned down as he sat in his car. Bridges was with Anderson during the shooting.

Prosecutors said the 22-year-old father was targeted by Anderson because he was affiliated with the gang that killed Guerrero.

The Anderson brothers were arrested Dec. 11, 2014.

During that month between the first shooting and DeShawn Anderson’s capture, his older brother allegedly drove him around the Tri-Cities, even after telling police he had no knowledge of his brother’s whereabouts.

Court documents filed after his initial arrest said Michael Anderson spoke with Officer Chad Pettijohn on Nov. 21.

He admitted taking his brother to the Pasco relative’s home and seeing an unmarked police car with “undercovers” in the neighborhood. When family members warned that the house was being watched, DeShawn got back into his brother’s car and they took off, again driving past an unmarked car, documents said.

The brothers reportedly learned that police arrived at the relative’s home a short time later looking for DeShawn, “but we had already left,” Michael Anderson allegedly said.

Pettijohn told Anderson several times that his brother was wanted, and he was warned not to help him in any way.

“Michael promised us he had no knowledge of his brother’s whereabouts and would assist us if he did,” court documents said.

However, investigators spoke with several people during the following three weeks who reported that Michael Anderson continued to contact his brother and drive him around Kennewick and Pasco while he was on the lam.

Anderson also drove DeShawn’s girlfriend to visit with him, and removed his own cellphone battery when they arrived so police couldn’t track them, documents said.

The charge against Anderson says he provided “money, transportation, disguise, or other means of avoiding discovery or apprehension” to his brother knowing he committed a crime and was wanted.

This story was originally published October 24, 2017 at 7:55 PM with the headline "His brother is doing life for a Pasco murder. Prosecutors say he helped hide him."