Victim Hit Hitch Hiker With Pepper Spray

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Story Published: Jul 9, 2009 at 4:42 PM PST

By Melissa Wagner

He killed a woman after hitching a ride on Interstate 82. The murderer is still out there, and it seems detectives are no closer to catching him. Sheryl Huntley was shot in the head by a hitch hiker picked up by her husband. A week after the crime investigators now tell us her husband hit the hitchhiker with pepper spray.

We asked Yakima County's Chief of Detectives why this information about these new details were not released earlier. Stew Graham said they always hold back something that may help them weed out fact from fiction with tip calls. But we asked again, how was it possible for Stephen Harwood to struggle with the hitchhiker, try to grab a gun, get shot in the hand and unleash the pepper spray, all while driving on a freeway? It's just becoming hard to believe. Graham said it's not clear when the pepper spray was used.

We asked if Stephen was considered a suspect in the crime. Graham said not at this time. We asked if he is a part of the investigation. Graham said yes. Then we asked if detectives are looking into the possibility he could be involved in the crime. Graham said, "We've always looked at that possibility and continue to look at that possibility."

At this time detectives have no leads on this killer. They're hoping someone will remember seeing a young hispanic man suffering from the effects of a full can of pepper spray in his face. That's hard to hide. Detectives are also waiting for final evidence to come back on the couple's car.

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