A Washington couple who admitted to the brutal killing of a teenager—and fabricating claims that the victim had sold their daughter into a sex trafficking ring—are poised to receive relatively light sentences after entering guilty pleas.
63-year-old John Eisenman pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, while his fiancée, 57-year-old Brenda Kross admitted to manslaughter in connection with the slaying. Notably, Kross’s statement in court acknowledged that the claims of sex trafficking were baseless.
The disturbing case began in November 2021 when Eisenman was arrested for the 2020 murder of a 19-year-old man whose body was discovered inside an abandoned vehicle in Spokane, Washington.
At the time of his arrest, Eisenman alleged that the victim had trafficked his daughter to a Seattle-based sex ring. This claim, however, was not substantiated, and Kross later admitted it was unfounded.
According to Spokane police, Eisenman learned in 2020 that the victim would be at a location in Airway Heights, a small city near Spokane. Lying in wait, he ambushed the teen, abducting him and tying him up before placing him in the trunk of a vehicle.
Eisenman then attacked the victim with a cinder block and stabbed him multiple times, resulting in his death. The teen’s body remained in the trunk of the same vehicle for nearly a year before it was moved to Hillyard, a neighborhood in northeast Spokane.
In October 2021, the body was discovered accidentally when individuals rummaging through the abandoned car stumbled upon the remains. Police traced the vehicle back to Eisenman, leading to his arrest.
The victim was the boyfriend of Eisenman’s daughter.
Eisenman’s fiancée, Kross, was implicated later. Authorities arrested her in 2022 after a coworker reported that Kross had confessed to participating in the killing. Her role in the crime further compounded the gruesome nature of the case.
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Despite the severity of the crime, prosecutors have agreed to recommend reduced sentences for the pair. Eisenman faces a proposed sentence of 22 years in prison, while Kross is expected to receive eight years behind bars followed by three years of community service.
The sentencing is scheduled for January 16, according to court records.
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