The suspect accused of killing 21-year-old Whitney Heichel appeared to cry during his arraignment Monday as documents revealed details of how he allegedly abducted, sexually assaulted and murdered the Oregon woman.
Dressed in an anti-suicide smock, Jonathan Holt did not enter a plea on seven counts of aggravated murder in Clackamas County Circuit Court, the Oregonian reported.
Documents released on Oct. 22 allege that Holt kidnapped Heichel shortly after she kissed her husband Clint goodbye as she left for work on Oct. 16, the Associated Press reported.
Holt waited outside her apartment at 7 a.m. and asked her for a ride, according to an affidavit cited by the Oregonian. A few minutes into the drive, Holt allegedly brandished a gun and forced her to perform oral sex on him at a lake.
Documents also contend that Holt robbed the Starbucks barista before killing her with multiple gunshot blasts and disposing of her body in Larch Mountain, east of Portland, ABC News said.
Police found her body on Oct. 19, three days into a search that was sparked when she didn't arrive for her morning shift.
Holt, who turns 25 on Oct. 24, faces the death penalty if convicted.
As a judge asked him questions, Holt spoke softly and gave one word answers, reports said. With his head facing downward, it seemed that he dabbed his eyes to wipe away tears at one point, the AP reported.
Holt is a married man in Gresham who was acquainted with Heichel from attending the same Jehovah's Witness church, her family said in a statement.
Police handling the case centered on him after they say he volunteered for questioning and provided inconsistent statements.
The case against Holt strengthened when investigators matched his fingerprints and DNA to evidence collected from Heichel's SUV, which was abandoned in a Walmart parking lot.
A court-appointed lawyer is expected to defend Holt, who remains jailed.
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