Philadelphia man charged in brutal 2005 murder of Washington state woman

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A Philadelphia man has been arrested in connection to the gruesome murder of a Washington state woman 17 years ago.

Brian Anderson Bourquard, 39, was among three suspects taken into custody this week, the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office said.

Bourquard was arrested in Philadelphia on Monday, August 8, and charged with 1st-degree murder.

The Kitsap County Sheriff's Office released photos of the suspects on Thursday. They blurred the suspects' faces.

Bourquard's arrest was made by the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Philadelphia Police Department and the United States Marshals Service.

Two other suspects were captured in Sarasota, Florida and Riverside, California.

All were arrested without incident.

Police say all three played a role in the brutal killing of 33-year-old Shanan Lynn Read in August 2005. A fourth suspect has died since the murder, authorities say.

According to the sheriff's office, Read was killed after being struck over the head with a metal baton inside her Seattle apartment.

She was taken to a remote cabin in Port Orchard, Washington owned by the family of one of the suspects.

After she died of her injuries, police say the suspects stuffed her decapitated body into a plastic container.

Read was left at the cabin for several weeks while two of the suspects returned frequently to pour chemicals over her body to speed up the decomposition process, the sheriff's office says.

They say the criminals dumped Read's remains into Puget Sound in January 2006. Another person had been recruited to dispose of the body. He was later convicted of unlawful disposal of human remains.

That same month, a witness called in a suspicious object in Puget Sound. Officers with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife responded and discovered the plastic container with Read's badly decomposed body inside.

Two months later, her head was found in the same area.

Authorities say Read was identified using fingerprint analysis.

Detectives continued to investigate her death for a decade - developing new leads, interviewing potential witnesses, and ultimately confirming the participation of the four suspects in her murder.

In June 2022, Special Agent Jimmy KilGallen from the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service presented the case to the Kitsap County Prosecutor's Office. Arrest warrants were issued for Bourquard and the two other suspects who were all living out of state.

All three suspects remain in custody in their states where they were arrested pending extradition proceedings. Each is being held on $10 million bail.

The sheriff's office says the suspects will eventually be transported back to Washington state to face charges.

Police did not release details on how the suspects knew Read or a motive for her murder.