Fight between roommates over rent money leaves one dead in Hillyard

An argument over rent money last week left a 48-year-old Hillyard man dead, according to court documents.

Matthew D. Johnson, 35, was booked Monday into the Spokane County Jail on suspicion of first-degree manslaughter in the death of Eric J. Lintner. Johnson was released the next day because prosecutors did not file charges, said Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Preston McCollam.

McCollam said the investigation is ongoing.

Johnson called 911 at about 5:10 p.m. Friday saying Lintner was unresponsive in the shop behind their house, 2408 E. Joseph Ave., court records say. Johnson started CPR before medics arrived and took over chest compressions.

Medics told police they declared Lintner dead at 5:44 p.m., documents say.

Johnson told police the two men knew each other from working at Mandere Construction, which is based in Rathdrum. Johnson and Lintner rented the Joseph Avenue home from their foreman.

On Friday, Johnson was inside the detached garage on the property working on his motorcycle when Lintner came into the shop and started to argue with him about rent money, Johnson told police. Johnson said he gave Lintner $800 instead of the normal $900 because Lintner owed him for nails and screws that cost about $80.

As the argument continued, Lintner punched Johnson in the face, and the two got into a “scramble,” Johnson said in documents. The two men ended up on the ground, where Lintner had him in a headlock.

Johnson said he tried to squeeze out of the headlock, but they ended up in a “stalemate.” Johnson told police he was holding Lintner with his arm around Lintner’s arm or neck.

Johnson squeezed out of the headlock and saw Lintner on the ground in the fetal position, according to documents. He said Lintner was breathing and conscious, but he left the residence to get away from Lintner, so the two wouldn’t continue to fight.

Johnson said he went to Ace Hardware, where he spoke with a friend who worked there. He then went to O’Reilly Auto Parts to buy something for his motorcycle before returning home and finding Lintner in the same position in the shop as when Johnson left, he told police.

He said Lintner was blue and had no pulse, so he called 911 and started CPR.

The Ace employee told police Johnson came into the store and told him he choked his roommate unconscious during a fight and left him lying on the floor. The employee said Johnson seemed scared and said his roommate was snoring when he left.

He said Johnson told him he didn’t know where he was going to go that day, and the employee told him he should go back to the house to work things out, documents say.

A neighbor on Joseph Avenue told police Lintner and Johnson drank alcohol and frequently argued.

The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy on Lintner, according to documents. His cause of death was left pending as investigators await further microscopic testing and toxicology reports.