On September 26, 2011, David Jones "Red" Pedersen, a 56-year-old Caucasian male from Everett, Washington, was tragically killed. His death marked the beginning of a violent crime spree that would span three states and claim three more lives. The grim discovery of his wife, Leslie "DeeDee" Pedersen, 69, found stabbed to death in their Everett home on September 28, 2011, initiated a multi-state manhunt for the primary suspects: Pedersen's son, David Joseph "Joey" Pedersen, and his girlfriend,
Holly Ann Grigsby.
The investigation quickly revealed a dark and complex motive behind the killings. Joey Pedersen, a man with a criminal history and affiliations with white supremacist groups, harbored deep-seated resentment towards his father. He claimed that his father had sexually abused him as a child, a factor that prosecutors later acknowledged as "significant and credible," influencing their decision not to seek the death penalty. This personal vendetta was intertwined with the couple's extremist ideologies. They embarked on what has been described as a "vicious, wild reign of terror," driven by a desire to "purify and preserve the white race."
Following the murders in Everett, Joey Pedersen and Holly Grigsby fled Washington, leaving a trail of violence in their wake. David "Red" Pedersen's body was later found in his Jeep in Linn County, Oregon; he had been shot in the back of the head. The couple's crime spree continued with the murder of 19-year-old Cody Myers in Oregon, whom they targeted because they believed he was Jewish. Their final victim was 53-year-old Reginald Alan Clark, a Black man in Eureka, California. Their stated goal was to travel to Sacramento to "kill more Jews."
The manhunt for Joey Pedersen and Holly Grigsby came to an end on October 5, 2011, when they were arrested near Yuba City, California, with several guns in their possession. Following their capture, both confessed to their roles in the murders. Joey Pedersen pleaded guilty to the murders of his father and stepmother and was sentenced to two life terms in prison in Washington. He later pleaded guilty to the murders in Oregon and California. Holly Grigsby also received a life sentence for her participation in the crimes. During their sentencing, Joey Pedersen expressed no remorse, stating he regretted being caught "before I really got underway" with his planned racist revolution.
