$5 million bail set for double homicide suspect in Mason County
A 60-year-old man accused of killing two people in Mason County is being held in jail in lieu of $5 million bail.
Deputies arrested Robert T. Child on March 25 in connection with a double homicide investigation at a residence in the 160 block of Hamma Hamma Dr. E. near Hoodsport.
Mason County Prosecuting Attorney Michael Dorcy charged Child with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree burglary, according to court records. In charging documents, Dorcy alleges Child unlawfully entered the residence where he shot and killed Anna Child and Jason Hilde, both 46, on March 24. Robert Child pleaded not guilty to the charges in Mason County Superior Court on Tuesday.
“We are grateful that the Constitution provides that Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law and look forward to having a jury hear the evidence in this case,” Robert Child’s attorney Sunshine M. Bradshaw told The Olympian on Thursday.
Anna and Robert Child were married and in the process of getting divorced, according to court records. Anna Child petitioned Mason County Superior Court for a protection order against Robert Child on March 9.
Judge Monty Cobb granted the order on March 23, but it had not yet been served by the time of her death, court records show.
Robert Child first appeared in court on March 26. Judge David Stevens set bail at $5 million and barred him from contacting the family of the decedents.
Court records indicate Robert Child was previously convicted of attempting to elude and second-degree possession of stolen property, making it unlawful for him to possess firearms. However, he has not been charged with unlawfully possessing firearms.
The investigation
A probable cause statement describes the investigation into Robert Child from the perspective of law enforcement. The statement provides this account of what happened:
A Mason County deputy responded to the residence near Hoodsport at about 7 p.m. on March 24. A neighbor called 911 to report a shooting at the property, and her husband found two deceased people.
Once at the scene, the deputy observed Jason Hilde just inside the front door with an “obvious gunshot wound to the head,” the statement reads. A shotgun reportedly leaned on the wall next to the front door.
The deputy found Anna Child, “obviously deceased,” on the stairs leading from the inside of the garage into the middle of the home, per the statement. She reportedly lay on her back and appeared to have a gunshot wound to her torso.
Shotgun shells littered the floor inside the home, the statement said.
The neighbor who found the bodies allegedly told deputies that he saw Robert Child fleeing the scene and asked him what he had done.
Robert Child allegedly said the decedents “pulled a gun on him” and that he was not going back to jail, per the statement. Then, he allegedly threatened to kill anyone who came after him.
The neighbor told deputies he spoke with Robert Child the day before the shooting. Robert Child allegedly told the neighbor he was living in Utah, and that he loved his wife.
Deputies also interviewed a witness who was inside the home at the time of the shooting. The witness hid and allegedly saw Robert Child enter the kitchen from the garage while holding a shotgun.
The witness reportedly heard Robert Child say something to the effect of “where the (expletive) is he” or “where is that (expletive),” according to the statement. The sound of gunshots rang out, and screeching tires soon followed, the statement said.
Deputies combed the area for surveillance footage and obtained a warrant for the residence and two parked vehicles. Deputies found divorce papers among Anna Child’s possessions. ‘
The Mason County Sheriff’s Office asked the public for help to find Robert Child soon after the shooting, and he was arrested the next day.
