On the evening of April 15, 2019, Jered Sperling, a 38-year-old White / Caucasian male, was managing the Kent East Hill Storage facility with his wife, a life they had built since moving to Kent, Washington in 2017. He was known in the local business community as a hardworking man, often seen sweeping the lot at dawn, who was deeply invested in his community.
Shortly after 8 p.m., Sperling had his 2013 GMC Denali pickup truck running in front of the facility's gate while he spoke with some customers. It was a decision that would tragically set in motion a devastating chain of events.
Two men were walking past the storage facility at that moment. One of them, 23-year-old Gurkeerat Kainth, saw an opportunity in the idling truck. He quickly jumped into the driver's seat and began to speed away. Seeing his truck being stolen, Sperling reacted instantly, grabbing onto the side of the truck bed in a desperate attempt to stop the theft. As the truck sped down the street, Sperling managed to pull himself into the truck's bed. Inside the cab, Kainth, who was high on narcotics, allegedly found a gun in the truck's center console. He fired at Sperling, inflicting a fatal gunshot wound. Kainth then drove to the Cascade Apartments, about two and a half miles away, abandoned the truck with Sperling's body in the back, and fled.
The following morning, after his wife, Cynthia, reported him missing, Jered Sperling’s body was discovered in the back of his pickup truck at the apartment complex. The community was shaken by the senseless act of violence. Kent Police launched a homicide investigation, releasing surveillance images of two persons of interest to the public. Tips quickly came in, identifying the men as Kainth and another individual, Troy Vasquez. Investigators determined that Vasquez was a witness and not a suspect in the crime.
Thanks to the public's help and video surveillance, police located and arrested Gurkeerat Kainth on the evening of April 17th at an apartment complex. Kainth, who had a history of vehicle theft charges, confessed to detectives that he had stolen the truck and shot Sperling. Initially, he faced a charge of second-degree murder, but prosecutors later upgraded it to first-degree murder, along with charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and theft of a motor vehicle. His bail was set at $2 million.
