Court documents shed light on South Hill homicide after suspect arrested Tuesday

A man is accused of robbing a man and then fatally shooting another early Saturday on the South Hill, according to recently filed court documents.

Spokane police arrested Henry O. Zeiger, 38, late Tuesday following a four-hour standoff in relation to the death of Aaron J. Houghton, who died around 3 a.m. Saturday near NomNom gas station on West 10th Avenue.

According to the affidavit, Seldon Schmoyer told investigators he was with Houghton and another witness in his car at the gas station when Schmoyer noticed a white Honda parked nearby.

Schmoyer was in the passenger seat, Houghton was in the back seat and their friend was driving Schmoyer’s car, according to the affidavit.

He told his friends the driver of the Honda had robbed him earlier in a drug transaction, according to witness testimony in the affidavit.

A witness who was in the car with Schmoyer and Houghton then followed the Honda down the 1600 block on West 10th Avenue, according to the affidavit. The occupants of Schmoyer’s vehicle and the occupants of the white Honda began to argue, the witness told investigators.

Then the driver of the Honda pulled out a handgun and fired multiple shots at Schmoyer’s car, according to the affidavit.

Noticing Houghton had been shot, the witness transported him to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, the affidavit said. Schmoyer told investigators he fled the scene on foot.

Both witnesses said they recognized the Honda driver as a man who went by the name Hondo Esco. Investigators found a Facebook profile with the same name and a birthday.

According to the affidavit, “crime analysis identified Henry O. Zeiger as having the same birthday and using the nickname of ‘Hondo’ in the past, based on information from police databases.”

Zeiger was booked into Spokane County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder following first-degree robbery.

He was on a $1 million bond, according to the Spokane County Jail inmate roster.

An attending officer told the Spokane County District Court on Wednesday afternoon Zeiger would not appear and was considered “uncourtable,” which could be caused by a number of factors including illness or noncooperation.

No other information was given as to why Zeiger did not appear. His first appearance was rescheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday.