Tag Archives: deckhand Walter Bremmer

Court battle pits liar vs. liar – Flawed men tussle over who committed Ilwaco strangling

The defendant made his case with a shaking voice. The witness re-enacted a vicious murder with scarcely contained glee. The defense attorney teared up. And after two days of sordid testimony concluded on Sept. 12, U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Leighton said he was no closer to understanding what really happened when Oregon fisherman John Adkins was beaten, then strangled in the Port of Ilwaco in July 2009. Adkins’ former business partner, Erin Rieman, 55, pleaded to manslaughter in 2010, after former Pacific County Prosecutor David Burke gave deckhand Walter Bremmer, 54, full immunity in exchange for his testimony. However, when Bremmer fatally strangled a Hawaii man, Robert “Johnny” Leong, in 2012, Rieman asked to withdraw his plea, saying he only took it to prevent Bremmer from killing his family members. >click to read<12:03

Wrong man in prison for 2009 murder?

Only two people know what really happened on the July 2009 night when 52-year-old fisherman John Adkins was murdered at the Port of Ilwaco. His deckhand Walter Bremmer moved to Hawaii within days, then negotiated full immunity in exchange for his testimony. His business partner Erin Rieman pleaded guilty to manslaughter and went to prison for 11 years. It seemed like a closed case until 2012, when Bremmer murdered his neighbor Robert “Johnny” Leong using the same unusual method that was used to kill Adkins. With Bremmer in prison, Rieman appealed his case over and over, saying he only took the fall because Bremmer threatened to kill his girlfriend, daughter and grandkids.,, Recently, a federal magistrate concluded Rieman’s crazy story just might be true. >click to read<