In the early morning hours of July 21, 2024, the life of a 40-year-old Caucasian woman, Jackie Wessels, was tragically cut short in her Spokane, Washington, home. Her son, who checked on her every morning, made the harrowing discovery, finding her unresponsive in her bedroom on North Hamilton Street. The Spokane County Medical Examiner would later confirm that Wessels died from multiple gunshot wounds to the torso, ruling her death a homicide.
The investigation into her death uncovered a
complex and volatile situation. According to court documents, the events leading to the fatal shooting stemmed from a dispute over a motorcycle deal. Wessels' son informed police that a man named Travis R. Johnson had misrepresented his mother in a transaction, which angered her. In response, Wessels allegedly took possession of Johnson's Jeep as a form of payment. This act appears to have escalated the conflict significantly.
Following the incident, suspicion quickly fell on 41-year-old Travis R. Johnson. He was arrested on unrelated drug charges in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on July 29. While in custody, his girlfriend provided crucial information to investigators. She stated that Johnson had confessed to shooting Wessels, claiming he had been held captive at her house for three days and acted in self-defense. According to his girlfriend, Johnson alleged that after he escaped, Wessels put a bounty on his head. He then reportedly retrieved a gun, returned to her house, and shot her during a confrontation. Johnson also allegedly told his girlfriend that he disposed of the pistol in a pond in Rockford.
Surveillance footage from the morning of the murder showed a man in a dark shirt entering the alley behind Wessels' home. Neighbors also reported seeing a dark SUV and two men entering the house and leaving in a hurry with a computer monitor and a bag. Johnson has since been charged with second-degree murder in connection with Jackie Wessels' death. Authorities have been working to transfer him from Kootenai County, where he was initially held, to Spokane County to face the murder charge.
