Convicted killer accused of rape in Kennewick motel room
A man who let his 19-year-old girlfriend die in 2008 is in trouble with the law again after allegedly raping a Kennewick woman.
Marnicus Lockhard, 41, met the rape victim through a mutual acquaintance on May 14 and promised to take her to a friend’s house, Kennewick police said. They ended up in his room in a Motel 6 where he raped her, said police.
The victim contacted police two days later. Police said they found evidence corroborating her account.
He is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail on suspicion of third-degree rape.
Lockhard spent a large portion of the past 10 years in prison after being sentenced to eight years in the death of his girlfriend Tiairra Jo Garcia, 19, in Pasco, in June 2008.
Ashone Hollinquest was handing a gun to Lockhard when it fired and hit Garcia in the chest. The men left her to die rather than get her medical help.
Her body was wrapped in a blanket and stuffed int a suitcase, then dumped in Mount Rainier National Park. She wasn’t found until July 2009.
Lockhard pleaded guilty to manslaughter and illegal gun possession.