Who Killed Brian Spaulding? New Details On The Unsolved Murder Of The Portland Massage Therapist
There have been no leads or arrests.
youtube The first 48 hours after a crime is committed, it’s imperative for investigators to collect evidence, interview witnesses, and determine a timeline. But things don’t always work out so streamlined, and police and families of victims are often left with unanswered questions. In the case of Brian Spaulding, friends and families are still looking for answers.
Who killed Brian Spaulding? On June 12, 2017, 36-year-old Spaulding was found dead in his Portland, Oregon home. Police responded and determined that Spaulding was the victim of a shooting; however, after two years, they have yet to determine the circumstances surrounding his death or name a suspect.
According to Portland police spokesman, Sgt. Pete Simpson, authorities asked neighbors to “keep an eye out for suspicious activity and provide information to detectives if they have any information on activity over the past few days... We really have more questions than answers at this point,” he said.
At the time of his death, Spaulding was a massage therapist as well as a martial arts student. And his former co-worker remembers him fondly.
Said Justin Abbott, the assistant manager at Straight Blast Gym where Spaulding worked, “He spent a lot of time working with people. He wasn’t officially a coach, but that didn’t stop him from donating his time helping people and making sure everyone was growing with the gym... Just a super happy-go-lucky kind of guy... always had a big smile on his face when he was on the mat, joking around. He kind of brought the best out of everyone he was training with.”
Just like Spaulding’s family, Abbott is at a loss as to why someone would kill such a good person.
“I've gone over it in my head a million times as to, like, what would be the cause of it or reason for it. I just don’t see him as someone who would have that kind of an enemy. You can tell his family really wants to put some kind of end to this, where they have some answers and can finally put this to rest,” he continued.
For Spaulding’s sister, it’s hard to believe that her brother is really gone.
Kate Bostick recalled, “Sometimes I feel like I’m in that moment again and sometimes it feels like it was a lifetime ago. It’s just a crazy thing... I don’t know what happened, I don’t know why it happened. My brother was big about personal responsibility and I feel like he would want somebody to take care of this personal responsibility. Somebody made a choice that ended the rest of his life and they should have to stand for that. He deserves that much and more. But that’s what we can try and accomplish."
Their faither, George Spaulding, agrees, saying his son’s murder “blindsided” the family. “The fact that the case is nowhere, when you’re down that low everything is up... [it’s] just been mind-numbing. You go one day ahead and two days back,” he revealed. His family is hoping that offering a $20,000 reward will encourage people to speak out. “Money talks, and if that’s what it takes to knock something loose, so be it.”
“I need to know what happened to my brother so I can get back to remembering him for the fabulous person he was. He was a great person, a great brother... They don’t have any leads. They don’t know what happened. It could be any number of scenarios... Somebody was there. Somebody killed him. They know what happened. They owe it to us to tell us what happened,” Bostick pleaded.
Spaulding’s case remains open.
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.