Three separate murder trials underway in Thurston County this week

In a rare occurrence, Thurston County Superior Court held three separate murder trials last week — including the retrial of a 2020 case following a successful appeal.

Thurston County Commissioner Wayne Fournier recognized Superior Court, Prosecutor’s Office and Public Defense staff for their work on the cases during his allotted time at the Board of County Commissioners’ regular meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

“This is apparently kind of a historic moment. We’ve never really held simultaneously those levels of trials all at once, so the work they’re doing is very impressive,” Fournier said.

Thurston County man being retried for 2020 murder of woman and child
Nicholas Denham was originally convicted by a jury in 2022 for the aggravated first-degree murder of his former girlfriend, Charlene Van Auken, and her 4-year-old daughter, Zoey Peetz.

A couple walking their dogs found the victims’ bodies at about 6:30 p.m. March 10, 2020, on a trail near Tolmie State Park in northeast Thurston County, according to reporting by The Olympian. Denham was arrested two days later following an investigation by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

The Thurston County Coroner’s Office later determined both victims died from gunshot wounds to the head.

Denham received two consecutive lifetime sentences without the possibility of parole, but appealed his conviction to the Washington State Court of Appeals shortly after his sentencing in May 2022.

The Court of Appeals issued an unpublished opinion in December 2023 siding with Denham, finding that Thurston County Superior Court wrongly overturned the defense’s objection to a potential juror being dismissed during jury selection.

The prosecution had challenged the selection of a juror due to “concern about a possible underlying bias towards defense,” according to appeals court documents. The defense objected to the prosecution’s challenge under a rule, GR 37, that sets guidelines intended to eliminate unfair exclusion of potential jurors based on race or ethnicity.

The Court of Appeals ultimately found that the court “failed to adequately apply and analyze the correct legal standard under GR 37,” and ordered Thurston County Superior Court to retry the case.

While the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office opposed the Court of Appeals’ decision and asked it to reconsider, the Court of Appeals finalized its decision in October 2024.

Denham was booked back into the Thurston County Jail on Oct. 25, 2024, and his case was refiled in Thurston County Superior Court a few days later, according to jail records and court documents.

His second jury trial began about a year later, on Monday, Oct. 27, and was ongoing as of Thursday afternoon.

Denham’s first trial lasted nearly two months, according to reporting by The Olympian.

Trial begins for Lacey man accused of killing toddler in 2022
Also on Thurston County Superior Court’s trial docket this week was the case of a Lacey man accused of killing a toddler in November 2022.

Eric Richard Boudreau allegedly brutally injured a 13-month-old boy he was babysitting, causing his death.

Lacey police and firefighters had responded to a 911 call about a 13-month-old child who allegedly fell down the stairs while his babysitter, Boudreau, slept, according to reporting by The Olympian. First responders and medical professionals reported that the child’s injuries were not consistent with a fall down the stairs, and were more consistent with child abuse than accidental trauma.

The child died from his injuries at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the child died due to blunt force injuries of the head and that the manner of death was homicide, according to reporting by The Olympian.
Boudreau was arrested in March 2023 and his trial began on Oct. 13, 2025. The trial was ongoing as of Thursday afternoon.

One of two accused of setting man on fire at Olympia homeless camp goes to trial
The third murder case being tried in Thurston County Superior Court this week is that of Christopher Edward Snyder, one of two men accused of setting a man on fire at an Olympia encampment in October 2024.

Snyder and his co-defendant, Kevin James Hinzpeter, are accused of confronting a 47-year-old man at an encampment known as “the Jungle” and setting him on fire with a chemical and fleeing the scene, according to reporting by The Olympian.

While the co-defendants were initially charged with attempted murder, the charges were upgraded to first-degree murder after the victim died from his injuries about two weeks after the attack.

Hinzpeter entered a guilty plea to amended charges on Oct. 28, 2025, according to court documents. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 17.

Snyder was found guilty on six charges, including first-degree murder, on Friday. Sentencing is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 17.