A couple from Washington state, who confessed to the murder of a teenager and falsely accused the victim of selling their daughter to a sex trafficking ring, are anticipated to receive comparatively lenient sentences after entering guilty pleas. John Eisenman, 63, was apprehended in November 2021 for the 2020 killing of a 19-year-old male, whose body was found after being left in a vehicle for approximately a year. Eisenman had initially claimed to law enforcement that the victim, whose identity has been kept confidential at the family’s request, had sold his daughter to a sex trafficking organization based in Seattle.
Eisenman appeared in court last Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. His fiancée, Brenda Kross, 57, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, acknowledging in her statement that there was no evidence to support the sex trafficking allegations. Kross was arrested in 2022 and charged in connection with the murder. She had reportedly confessed to a coworker that she had assisted in the killing of the teenager.
According to the Spokane police, Eisenman had learned of the victim’s whereabouts in Airway Heights, a city less than 10 miles west of Spokane, and waited for him to arrive before confronting him. The police statement detailed that Eisenman had abducted the victim, bound him, and placed him in the trunk of a vehicle. He then assaulted the victim by striking him in the head with a cinder block and stabbing him multiple times, resulting in his death.
The victim’s body was left in the trunk of the car, which remained in the same location for nearly a year. In October 2021, the car was moved to Hillyard, a neighborhood in northeast Spokane. The body was discovered accidentally by individuals who were rummaging through the car and taking items when they stumbled upon the horrific discovery. The vehicle was eventually traced back to Eisenman, leading to his arrest.
Eisenman and Kross are scheduled to be sentenced on January 16, according to court records. Prosecutors have reportedly agreed to recommend relatively lenient sentences for both. Eisenman is expected to receive a 22-year sentence, while Kross is likely to be sentenced to eight years in prison, followed by three years of community service.