Yreka, California – Timothy Chase McDonald, a 26-year-old man from Yreka, California, has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Spencer Richard Hodgson. Deputies from the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office announced the conviction, stating that McDonald lured Hodgson to a remote area, shot him, and dumped his body. The motive behind the crime was reportedly the discovery of flirtatious texts on McDonald’s girlfriend’s phone.
Hodgson’s lifeless body was discovered on April 8, 2019, in a ravine in the Klamath River area, a rural community. Authorities were alerted to the possible presence of a dead body after a report was made. A subsequent autopsy revealed that Hodgson had been shot, leading officials to classify his death as a homicide.
During the investigation, a California Highway Patrol aircraft located Hodgson’s white 2010 Toyota Tundra pickup truck while his dog was found unharmed and reunited with family members. The authorities gathered evidence from the vehicle, conducted interviews with the victim’s associates and family, and even offered a reward for information leading to the killer. Several months later, McDonald was apprehended in January 2020 for the murder.
According to the authorities, McDonald confessed to an acquaintance that he ambushed Hodgson upon discovering flirtatious messages on his girlfriend’s phone. It is worth noting that the victim was not familiar with McDonald. Siskiyou County Sheriff Jon Lopey confirmed the details surrounding McDonald’s arrest, stating, “What happened was we tracked him down where he lived and he was subjected to questioning, and we developed a probable cause to make an arrest.”
In a statement following the verdict, the Sheriff’s Office acknowledged the crucial role played by witnesses in providing critical information that led to the resolution of the case. The statement expressed condolences to Hodgson’s family and all those affected by the tragic crime. While acknowledging that the pain caused by his loss cannot be undone, they hoped that the jury’s findings would offer a sense of closure to those who cared for him.