Suspect in Stevens County cold case held without bail for double murder

COLVILLE, Wash. — The suspect in a double-murder that has gone unsolved for decades made his first court appearance Friday morning.

73-year-old Charles Tatom is suspected of killing 29-year-old Marlene Emerson and her 12-year-old daughter Cassie in 1997.

The prosecuting attorney said Tatom killed Emerson with a knife at her mobile home, then poured gas in the trailer and lit the home on fire. Cassie’s body was found a month later dumped in the woods.

The judge ruled Tatom will be held without bail.