On the morning of November 9, 2017, the quiet of a home in north Spokane, Washington, was shattered by a grim discovery. Inside, 61-year-old Robert Bossard, a Caucasian male, was found dead. A caregiver arriving at the residence to assist Bossard's wife, Karen, grew concerned when no one answered the door. When Karen finally opened it, her first words were, "He's dead."
The caregiver then found Robert's body in the main floor bathroom, face-up in the bathtub with a gunshot wound to his forehead. The scene was described as having blood "all over" the floor and walls, immediately suggesting a violent struggle rather than a suicide.
Suspicion quickly fell upon the victim's 35-year-old son, Matthew C. Bossard, who was present in the home. Before the caregiver could enter the bathroom, Matthew had emerged from the basement and told her not to go in. His subsequent behavior and inconsistent statements to investigators raised further alarms. He told detectives that he had heard a loud bang and found his father slumped against a wall. Instead of calling for help, he claimed he moved his father's body into the bathtub and attempted to clean the blood with decorative sand. A 9 mm handgun was found in "pristine condition" inside a plastic bag on the bathroom vanity, which investigators noted was inconsistent with a self-inflicted wound.
As the investigation unfolded, a disturbing picture of the family dynamic emerged. Matthew Bossard was described by detectives as "extremely paranoid" during his interview, making bizarre claims that his father was trying to harm him and his mother. He also suggested his father was responsible for a past miscarriage his girlfriend had suffered. The night before the murder, Robert had reportedly threatened to kick his son out of the house. This tension, coupled with Matthew's history of drug use and prior criminal record, including arson and burglary, painted him as the primary suspect.
Detectives arrested Matthew Bossard later that day and charged him with first-degree murder in what was deemed a domestic violence homicide. While executing a search warrant, authorities found a shovel and a large plastic bag that resembled a body bag in the backyard of the property. At his initial court appearance, Matthew's bond was set at $1 million. The Spokane Medical Examiner later officially ruled Robert Bossard's death a homicide caused by a gunshot wound to the head.
