Man charged with killing woman in road rage shooting was defending family, attorneys say in opening statements of trial

Attorneys made their case to a jury on Tuesday in the case of a road rage shooting that resulted in the death of a woman in May 2021. A jury was selected on Monday.

Richard S. Hough, 30, is charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of Erika Kienas, 33. The man and woman confronted each other at the intersection of Francis Avenue and Addison Street, according to court documents.

“Twelve seconds,” Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Mandy Mackenzie repeated to jurors on Tuesday morning.

That was how long the interaction between the two people lasted before Kienas, who prosecutors say was unarmed, was shot, she said.

Hough was in a Volkswagen Jetta his mother was driving. His brother was also inside. Hough said a Subaru cut them off on Cozza Drive. The Houghs say the occupants of the vehicle, including Kienas, her boyfriend, who was driving the Subaru, and another occupant, flipped them off when they drove near their vehicle.

“Instead of just being mad and going on their normal route, Birdie (Hough’s mother) decided to follow Ms. Kienas’ vehicle,” Mackenzie told jurors. “About a mile later, they stop at the light. She stopped right behind the vehicle and Ms. Kienas got out of the vehicle. They had a heated argument. Remember, 12 seconds.”

Hough shot Kienas in the chest one time. She ran a short distance and collapsed in the street.

“The state believes you will believe Mr. Hough acted intentionally to cause the death of Ms. Kienas,” Mackenzie said.

Defense attorneys portrayed Hough as a calm and cooperative man who was defending his family from an aggressive stranger.

While on their way from Wellpinit, Washington, to pick up another family member, the Houghs came across a vehicle “recklessly driving” down Cozza Drive, defense attorney Annie Wasilewski told jurors in an opening statement.

Hough’s mother was concerned by the driver’s behavior and wanted to get a license plate number to report, Wasilewski said. The Houghs also told police that the Subaru ran a stop sign.

After the Subaru occupants began to flip them off, Hough’s mother became nervous and decided not to follow them any closer, Wasilewski said. But that’s when the vehicles stopped at the intersection of Francis and Addison.

In police footage shown to the jury, Hough told an officer that the Subaru driver parked at angle that wouldn’t allow them to pass. He and Kienas then confronted each other. Hough was armed with a .22-caliber revolver.

“Mr. Hough got out of the car and was calm,” Wasilewski told the jury. “As he exited the car that day, that was what his hope was: That he could de-escalate the situation.”

But Kienas couldn’t be calmed down and threatened she would “cut” Hough, Wasilewski said.

In body cam footage admitted into evidence, Hough told Spokane police Kienas was “reaching into her bra” for something.

“She was in Mr. Hough’s face and when she threatened to cut him, he acted the only way he knew how,” Wasilewski said. “Mr. Hough shot Ms. Kienas only once. He reholstered the gun as soon as he realized the threat was over.”

Police officers who arrived on scene located Hough on his knees with his hands behind his head near the site of the incident, body cam footage showed.

Todd Randall, a witness who drove through the intersection of Francis and Addison during the shooting, said the two people were standing within 1 to 3 feet of each other. Kienas seemed angry, he said. Hough stood with his arms folded and his head bobbing.

“Honestly, I had concerns for both of them,” Randall told prosecuting attorneys. “Two people in an intersection stopped over what I assumed was a road rage incident was not a good idea.”

Randall said he saw Hough produce a weapon, point it at Kienas and fire. He did not see a weapon in Kienas’ hands, he said. However, her boyfriend is said to have removed a putty knife from the scene, according to court documents.

As Randall drove through the intersection, he saw her turn around with her hands over her chest and scream, he said.

The trial will continue through the rest of the week and is expected to finish on Monday.