Joshua “Josh” Paine, a 42-year-old White male, was a loving husband and father from Spokane, Washington. He worked as a clinical engineer at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, a job he had held since 2015. His wife, Leslie, remembered their last morning together on May 23, 2024, as perfectly normal; they finished their coffee, watched the news, and she kissed him goodbye as he left for work, just as she had for 24 years.
Friends and family described him as a hardworking and dedicated family man who was always willing to help others.
That morning, at around 5:30 a.m., Paine’s journey to work was violently interrupted in Spokane’s Garland District. He was driving his silver Honda Ridgeline when a black Mercedes, driven by 28-year-old Caleb Carder, sped up and blocked his path. Surveillance footage from a local business captured what happened next. Both men exited their vehicles and had a brief argument in the street.
As Paine stood beside his car, Carder began shooting at him with a handgun, appearing to empty the magazine. The video showed Paine trying to run toward a nearby business as Carder pointed the weapon at his back and continued to fire. Paine then collapsed onto the sidewalk. In a bewildering turn, Carder calmly walked back to his Mercedes, retrieved a medical kit, and put on rubber gloves. He then began administering CPR to Paine while on the phone with police.
When officers arrived and asked where the shooter was, Carder identified himself as the one who had fired the shots. An autopsy later determined that Paine had sustained twelve bullet wounds. Investigators found no evidence that Paine had done anything to provoke such a violent reaction.
Caleb Carder was arrested and initially booked on suspicion of second-degree murder, but the charge was quickly upgraded to first-degree premeditated murder. Citing the shocking and violent nature of the crime, a judge set his bond at an unusually high $5 million. The case concluded nearly two years later. In April 2026, Carder pleaded guilty to first-degree premeditated murder. The following month, in May 2026, a judge sentenced him to 344 months—over 28 years—in prison. During the emotional hearing, where Paine’s family shared their grief, the judge described the killing as “one of the most egregious, horrific and senseless acts she’s seen.”
