PORTLAND, Ore. — The family of a Portland man shot to death while on a hike is suing the person who told investigators that he fired the gun.
In August 2022, 49-year-old Aron Christensen was camping with friends in the woods of Lewis County, Washington. Christensen and his dog, Buzz, went on a hike but never returned. Their bodies were later discovered on a trail, shot to death. Detectives identified then 20-year-old Ethan Asbach and a 17-year-old girl from Thurston County as suspects. The two have never been charged.
On Monday, exactly two years since Christensen's death, his family sued Ethan Asbach and his father, Michael Asbach, for $3 million. They claimed Ethan Asbach was "unlawfully carrying a firearm" that his father "unlawfully gave and entrusted to him" to use for protection in the woods.
Ethan Asbach's family had told investigators that he shot Christensen, thinking he was a wild animal in the bushes. Last year, the prosecutor in Lewis County said he wouldn't charge Ethan Asbach with felony manslaughter, citing "lack of sufficient facts in the case."
"There’s been no justice in this case at all; it’s been two years. Absolutely insane," said Ezra Meridith, a close friend of Christensen's who was also on the camping trip. "(Investigators) messed up big time. They bungled the whole thing."
Christensen's family agrees. Shortly after the prosecutor's decision to not file felony charges, they filed a $20 million tort claim notice against Lewis County. It accused investigators of tampering with evidence by moving Christensen's body from the trail, even after a deputy spotted a puncture wound. Christensen's family also said investigators suggested that he died from a heart attack or possibly from tainted drugs. The coroner later ruled his death a homicide by gunshot wound. In addition, family members said investigators told them that Ethan Asbach was "a good kid from a good family."
"A good kid would not flee the scene," said Kate Meridith, Ezra Meridith's wife. "A good kid would run down the mountain and find someone. He was a mile and a half from people."
The Merediths said they'll never stop hoping for justice for Christensen, even if their only recourse is through lawsuits.
"I don't think there's ever going to be justice in this, I don't think we're ever going to know the truth," Ezra Meridith said. "Because I don't think Ethan Asbach has ever been encouraged to tell the truth in his whole life."
KGW reached out the Lewis County Sheriff's Office and Ethan Asbach for their perspectives on the case and is awaiting their response.