Bend man arraigned on murder indictment
A Bend man accused of fatally shooting a house guest earlier this week was formally arraigned on a murder charge Friday and a judge ordered he remain held without bail. Meanwhile, the victim’s family has established a fund to help his widow and young child.
Luke Wirkkala, 32, again appeared by video hookup from the Deschutes County Jail, where he’s been held since his arrest in the shooting of David Andrew Ryder, 31, early Monday morning at his rental home on SE Will Scarlet Lane.
During the 10-minute arraignment before Deschutes County Circuit Judge Stephen Forte, defense attorneys requested access to the search warrant, autopsy results and notes, and recorded interviews.
Prosecutors said Ryder’s remains need to be returned to the family, and Forte ordered that to be done by noon on Monday, giving the defense another day to look into any questions they have.
Wirkkala’s lawyers requested a date a month out for a plea entry, and Forte set that for Wednesday, March 12 at 1:30 p.m.
Friends of David Ryder remember him as a loving husband and a father. He worked at G5, a search and digital marketing firm in Bend.
Police say Ryder was gunned down early Monday morning by Wirkkala. A call to 911 sent police to the southeast Bend home Wirkkala rents at 2:30 a.m. Neighbors told NewsChannel 21 they heard nothing.
Wirkkala’s girlfriend, as well as two children, were asleep in the home at the time of the shooting. Detectives are not saying why Ryder was there, but they did say he was an invited guest.
District Attorney Patrick Flaherty confirmed late Thursday that Wirkkala had been indicted on a murder charge.
Wirkkala first appeared before Circuit Judge Wells Ashby on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after his arrest. Wirkkala’s appointed lawyers from the law firm Crabtree and Rhamsdorff asked that his arraignment be continued until Friday.
Bend police Lt. Ben Gregory said they would not be releasing how many times Ryder was shot or what type of gun was used. Gregory also told NewsChannel 21 he could not say whether Wirkkala was at his home when police arrived to find Ryder’s body.
On Tuesday, crime tape and a police car surrounded the home in the cul-de-sac off SE Will Scarlet Lane.
In a posting late Thursday to KTVZ.COM, family member Edward Ryder said that when David Ryder was killed, he did not have any life insurance for his wife and 2-year-old son, who “can use any help that you can” provide.
He said a fund has been set up at Chase Bank in Bend, and contributions can be made to the David Andrew Ryder Memorial Fund at any Chase branch.
