Psycho Killers, Idaho Edition

by Travis Mateer

Killers are so hot right now, especially the Idaho variety. 

This week the man accused of brutally beating Lee Nelson to death in broad daylight will finally get to stand trial, but the BIG attention across the country is currently directed at that other set of captivating Idaho deaths, which occurred on November 13^th in Moscow, Idaho.

I’m paying attention to BOTH of these cases because they both hit close to home. In the case of the man accused of killing Lee (Charles Covey), my familiarity with the victim and another person claiming knowledge of the killer’s motive means I’ve already been in contact with the prosecuting attorney and investigating detective. When I attend this case in person, there are some specific things I’ll be looking for insight on.

In the case of the stabbing deaths of four young people, the town itself, Moscow, is both geographically close, and a location where I have family who attend the infamous Christ Church, which has garnered controversy over the years. I’m also interested in sub-cultures that seem to borderline VENERATE psychopaths, like the criminology program where the alleged killer took classes with a professor who has a strong interest in the BTK killer.

To highlight this possible angle, here’s an interview worth watching with the BTK killer’s daughter. It’s chilling.

Another angle I suspect might be relevant is the occult angle. That was my first thought when I saw the address where the killings took place: 1122 King Road. Since psychopaths who graduate to killer status like placing their accomplishments in the context of their contemporaries, I see this address as a reference to the supposed “killing of the king” ritual that occurred on November 22^nd, 1963.

I’m hoping to discuss some of this dark shit with a seasoned researcher into the occult, William Ramsey. A recent podcast episode with an equally knowledgeable interviewer got me thinking about the phenomenon of the “smiley face killings” in relation to the mysterious death of Aaron Bolton in Seattle. Here is what authorities knew at the time (2012) about finding Bolton dead in Elliott Bay:

A prominent Montana nightclub owner and musician was found dead in Elliott Bay on Monday morning.

Aaron Bolton, 36, had been in Seattle with his stepbrother picking up new speakers for Badlander, the Missoula nightclub he co-owned, according to Seattle musician Ron Lewis. How he ended up in the water off Pier 57 is unknown.

Seattle police and fire crews were dispatched to the 1300 block of Alaskan Way around 6 a.m. for reports of a body in the water. Although early reports indicated the man had been wearing a lifejacket, police spokesman Mark Jamieson said he was not.

“It appears to be an accident,” Jamieson said of the death.

Now this is where things get synchronistically weird. Later in the article, a little data point in Bolton’s biographical information got my attention. It’s the bold part:

Bolton was born in New Orleans but grew up in Missoula after his father was hired as a professor in the School of Theatre and Dance at the University of Montana, Eiland said. Bolton briefly attended the University of Montana, but he wanted to be a musician.

He moved to Seattle when in his 20s, and played and toured with the band Mines. He worked as a bike courier and briefly at Microsoft, Eiland said.

For some reason, the Microsoft angle reminded me of a very strange news story that made brief headlines last month. You will understand in a moment why I find this a bit unsettling. From the link:

A former Microsoft technologist is behind bars after he plowed his car into a crowded Washington State supermarket on Friday night after alleging that he’s being pursued by a murderous satanic cult.

After crashing his car into the front of the Fred Meyer store in Everett 50 miles north of Seattle, Ronald Lewis, 57, covered himself in gasoline, police said.

Lewis then sat in his car as responding officers tried to negotiate his surrender. That’s when his car caught fire.

I’ll forgive you if you don’t see the connection, because it took me awhile to realize the name of Bolton’s Seattle musician friend is the same as the Microsoft employee–Ron Lewis. Isn’t that curious? Yeah, curious like Microsoft featuring, then apologizing, for that collaboration with Marina Abramović. It’s all fun and games until someone tips-off authorities about that child porn, right Microsoft?

While I think there’s value in considering the occult aspects of evil, there’s also pitfalls. Is it possible to read too much into benign data points? Sure. Is giving our attention encouraging these psycho killers in ways we might not understand? Possibly. Regardless, I think a good case can be made for engaging in MORE occult research, and I hope to talk about all this with William Ramsey sometime next month.

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