Kill the Ones You Love (2 page)

CHAPTER 3

It was already a strange story, and it was about to get much stranger. On February 9, 2010, the Coos County District Attorney's Office got a phone call from Fred Eschler, who lived in Coquille. District Attorney R. Paul Frasier personally knew Fred, but Frasier was not in his office at the time, and did not receive the information that day. Fred Eschler conveyed to one of the staff at the DA's office that on the evening of Monday, February 8, he had been contacted at home by a person claiming to be involved in counterterrorism activities with the U.S. government.

Fred did not identify this individual at the time, but he did say that the person had come by his home and asked for help. The reason this person needed help was that supposedly he had been working undercover and had been involved with some recent homicides in the Bandon area. This person claimed that he'd infiltrated a terrorist cell in the area, and had barely escaped with his life. He had killed one of the terrorists; but, unfortunately, two other innocent bystanders in the area had been killed by the terrorist group. Since Fred had known this individual over the years, knew that he had been a law enforcement officer and trusted him, he had helped him by lending him a vehicle, a gun and some other items.

When DA Frasier finally got the news from his staff, he was unaware of anyone being murdered in the Bandon area in the previous week. He had his staff contact Fred Eschler to get more information. Since this might involve the federal government, a DA staff member told Eschler to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) directly. During this phone conversation, Fred told the staff member that he was very concerned about the individual in question, and he had provided that person with a gun and a vehicle. The individual in question had said that he had to get out of the area—not only for his own safety, but that of his family as well.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to DA Frasier or anyone in his office, ever since February 5, Coos County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) sergeant Dave Hermann had been working on a potential missing person's case involving a female named Jessica Morris. Hermann had received a “concern call” from the Women's Safety & Resource Center in the area. Jessica Morris was a volunteer there and they had not heard from her since very late in January. Jessica was a reliable person, and never before had she acted in this manner. She was also in charge of a fund-raiser, to be held on the day before the Super Bowl, which was supposed to raise money for the center. Jessica had not done this, and nothing had occurred in that regard.

Sergeant Hermann went to the women's center and learned that Jessica worked at Bandon Bookkeeping. That was Sergeant Hermann's next stop, where he spoke with Mary Ann Donaldson. Donaldson told Sergeant Hermann that Jessica had been employed at Bandon Bookkeeping for the previous two months, but the last time she came to work was on January 28. Jessica had mentioned something to the effect that things were not going well in her household, and that their finances were in trouble. After that, Jessica had not returned to work at all, nor had she picked up her last paycheck. Not unlike the people at the Women's Safety & Resource Center, Mary Ann also spoke of Jessica as a reliable person, who had performed her tasks well and was liked by others there.

Donaldson told Sergeant Hermann that Jessica was married to Gabriel Morris, and added that Gabriel's mother was Robin Anstey. In fact, according to Donaldson, Jessica, Gabriel and their daughter, Kalea, were living with Gabriel's mother in a home off Highway 42 South. Donaldson said that she had once driven Jessica home, when Jessica didn't have a ride, and she was not sure of the exact address on the highway. She did give Sergeant Hermann some directions and he was finally able to determine that it was at a location on Flower Hill along Highway 42 South.

Sergeant Hermann went out to the house, but no one was home at the time. He did notice some boxed-up items there, as if someone was getting ready to move. Hermann took off and planned to go out to the place in about a week, to check on matters once again.

Looking further into the situation, Sergeant Hermann learned that Jessica's father was a gentleman named William “Bill” Pope, of Blackfoot, Idaho. Hermann had wondered if Jessica might have shown up there in the previous week. Hermann phoned the Popes; during the conversation, Bill Pope told Hermann something very interesting. He said that before Jessica married Gabriel Morris, she had $100,000 in the bank from a settlement she received from a very bad sledding accident in that state. This had happened when Jessica was thirteen years old. Bill said that once Jessica married Gabriel, they went through that money very quickly. He was sure that Gabriel was the reason why. According to Pope, Gabriel always had some grand scheme going, but none had succeeded.

In an irate voice, Bill Pope added that in the not-too-distant past, Gabriel had cheated on Jessica, having an affair with a woman in Pocatello, Idaho. Gabriel and Jessica split up for a short while; but after the affair ended, Jessica took Gabriel back. Plus, Jessica's father said, he was absolutely stunned when the woman in Idaho, with whom Gabriel had been having the affair, called him and said that she wanted to find out where Gabriel was. She said she intended to sue Gabe for using her credit cards without her permission and running up huge balances on those accounts.

Bill told Sergeant Hermann it was he who had told Gabriel and Jessica to return to Coos County, Oregon, because Gabriel was from there. Once they were there, Bill suggested, they should declare bankruptcy and try to get their finances in order while staying in Bandon with Gabe's mom and her boyfriend, Bob. In fact, Bill said that he had given them $7,000 to move to Coos County from Idaho so they could have a fresh start. He had loaned them a small red pickup truck as well. The pickup truck did not run well, but it was better than nothing, since Gabe didn't even have any vehicles anymore. They had been repossessed.

Bill related that the last time he had spoken with Jessica was on February 5, and she was all right at that time. Nothing seemed to be amiss. Then her father added, “I believe Gabriel was nearby and manipulating her conversation with me.”

 

 

Around the same time that all of this was occurring, a resident in Coquille complained about an abandoned pickup truck in that town. The Coquille Police Department (CPD) sent out an officer to investigate and found the pickup truck parked on the 1000 block of North Dean Street. As it turned out, that was the same block where Fred Eschler lived. When an officer went to check out the vehicle, he learned that the vehicle belonged to Robert Kennelly, who lived between Bandon and Coquille on Highway 42 South. Since this was a Coquille police officer, he had no jurisdiction out on county land, and he didn't know about CCSO sergeant Hermann's journey out to that property a few days before.

Because of the illegally parked vehicle, CCSO deputy Adam Slater was sent out there to tell Bob that he needed to move his pickup truck from the street in Coquille. What Slater found, however, was beyond his wildest expectations. He found the bodies of two dead adults—one within the house and another just outside the front door.

More and more officers began arriving on scene, and soon included CCSO, the CPD, Bandon Police Department (BPD) and other agencies as well. Soon all of the information would be going into the report of the chief investigator of the crime scene, Detective Sergeant Daniel Looney. The information that he notated there was incredible and would soon set off a nationwide manhunt.

CHAPTER 4

Meanwhile, Coquille Police Department police chief Mark Dannels went to talk with Fred and Laura Eschler. During that interview, Fred told the police chief that on the evening of February 8, sometime between 9:00 and 9:30
P.M
., Gabriel and Jessica Morris showed up unexpectedly with their four-year-old, Kalea.

Fred and Laura Eschler knew Gabriel well because he had dated one of their daughters, Esther, when he was younger. Gabe had also gone to their church. In fact, Gabe had dated Esther throughout his high-school years. Fred and Laura liked him so much that they considered him to be a part of their family. Gabe had even gone on vacations with the entire family.

Laura Eschler later recalled, “The doorbell rang about nine
P.M
., and I answered the door. I saw Jessica Morris there and she was carrying Kalea. I didn't see Gabe at first. He was, kind of, back in the shadows. I invited them in, and there was a sense of urgency on Gabe's part.

“Jessica had contacted me in late January and she wanted to do an observation in my classroom. I was a schoolteacher. And I thought Jessica was showing up to talk about that. I wasn't paying too much attention to Gabe at the moment, but I did notice that Jessica and Kalea were in their pajamas and not wearing any shoes.”

Laura had the Morrises come into the kitchen, where her husband, Fred, was sitting. Fred was always glad to see them, but almost immediately Gabe told him that this wasn't a social call.

Fred also recounted to Dannels how Gabe had gotten down to business right away. Gabe said that he was working for the government on an antiterrorist operation. Things had gone horribly wrong, and there had been an attack on the residence where he and his family were staying, which was, of course, Bob Kennelly's place. In the cross fire, Bob and his mom had been killed, and Gabe had been able to kill one of the terrorists, who then broke off their attack and disappeared into the darkness. In fear for Jessica and Kalea's safety, Gabe had hustled them over to the Eschlers' home as soon as he could. They had escaped to the Eschler house without even wearing shoes.

Gabe said to Fred and Laura, “We need a ride to San Diego. I have to report to an air force base there.”

Both Fred and Laura said they couldn't do that, since they both had to teach classes the following morning. They both worked for the school district and couldn't just take off from their positions at the drop of a hat.

Gabe was calm, but very much in a hurry. He asked Fred for .40-caliber ammunition. Fred said that he didn't have that kind of ammo. Fred did note, however, that Gabe, Jessica and Kalea were not dressed for such rainy, cold weather. The Eschlers gave them warmer clothing and sleeping bags.

Gabe was thankful for this, but he kept insisting he needed .40-caliber ammunition, with which to protect himself and his family. During this conversation, Fred noticed that a pistol fell out of Gabe's jacket onto the couch. Gabe quickly picked it up, and Fred assumed that Gabe wanted the .40-caliber ammo for this handgun.

Fred finally loaned Gabe a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, with three additional loaded magazines, and $150 in cash. He also loaned him a silver Ford Taurus, in which Gabe supposedly would drive to California and report in at an air force base there.

Laura Eschler told Police Chief Dannels that while Fred was engaged in conversation with Gabe, she had tried talking to Kalea. Laura said that a four-year-old's language was hard to understand, but she took Kalea to say, “Something bad happened to Grandma.” Laura added that Gabe heard this, and stopped Kalea from saying any more. Then Gabe said, “Kalea, you are not to talk about what happened to Grandma to anyone!”

Just before they took off, Gabe hugged both the Eschlers and said, “Thank you so much.” Laura couldn't remember later if Gabe said, “Pray for me,” or if Jessica had said it.

Gabe piled their meager belongings into the car; and with Jessica positioned at the wheel, the Eschlers saw Gabe lie down in the backseat with Kalea. And then without another word, Jessica took off. The Eschlers watched their vehicle and the Morrises disappear down the street and into the darkness.

 

 

The Eschlers' interview with Chief Dannels really set off alarm bells with DA Paul Frasier. He personally owned a .40-caliber Glock handgun and was familiar with the ammunition that it used. From police reports already coming in, Frasier also knew that Bob Kennelly and Robin Anstey had been killed by .40-caliber bullets.

What had initially seemed to be so random now started to make sense in DA Frasier's mind. He no longer believed in terrorists and some sort of shoot-out between them and Gabriel Morris, where Robin Anstey and Bob Kennelly became innocent bystander victims. Frasier began to believe that the sole shooter in all of this was Gabriel Morris. Just why Morris had done it remained a complete mystery at that point.

Frasier went back to his office and began writing out an arrest warrant. In it he stated:
I have probable cause to believe and do believe that Gabriel Christian Morris is responsible for the death of Robin Anstey and Robert Kennelly. As these two deaths occurred during the same criminal episode, that two charges of Aggravated Murder have been committed and that Gabriel Christian Morris is responsible for their deaths.

Writing up an arrest warrant was one thing—actually determining where Gabe Morris and his family had gone was quite another. They could have gone in any number of directions, since they were known to have friends up and down the West Coast. And the questions soon became, not only where had they gone, but why had Gabe Morris killed his mother and her boyfriend? And how had this young man, who people said was once friendly, outgoing and very responsible, turned into a cold-blooded killer?

CHAPTER 5

Gabriel Morris was born in 1976, into a blended family. The family initially lived in Pacific Beach, California. This was right on the Southern California coast that has been depicted in so many movies. But the Morrises didn't inhabit a home straight out of some Hollywood depiction of suburban Southern California. Instead, they lived in one of the poorest districts of San Diego.

Gabe's father was Daniel “Danny” Morris. Both of Gabe's parents had been married before and had children from those marriages. Robin had a boy, Jesse, from a previous marriage. He was six years older than Gabe, and Gabe would get to know him very well. Danny had a daughter, who had been adopted out, and Gabe would not know her at all.

With his full bushy head of hair and cherubic smile, Gabe looked the epitome of a happy, carefree 1970s Southern California boy. One photo from that era depicted a smiling Gabe up in a tree with his older brother. They obviously were having fun and enjoyed each other's company.

No one more than Jesse would later tell as much about what life was like for him and young Gabe. Jesse later recalled, “We grew up in San Diego in a very poor, welfare area. It was one of the ugliest places I can remember. It was just tough, mean streets.

“We were a minority there, being white. It was mostly black and Hispanic. Mom had divorced my dad and was married to Danny Morris. I was six years old when Gabe was born. Danny was pretty good to Gabe, but he was rough on me. I always thought he loved Gabe too much. It was more than just a regular father/son love. It was just odd.

“Gabe tagged along with me a lot. Gabe was very, very loving. I always admired how he loved his family. I felt that it was more than I was capable of doing. He always wanted to be with us all, and he particularly loved his mom. Both me and Gabe loved Mom, but he seemed to have a bond with her that was beyond what I was capable of having.”

Gabe's relationship with his father was, indeed, noticeably strange. It worried family and neighbors alike. In fact, it rose to the point of obsession with Danny.

A neighbor named Jasmine, who knew the family, called Gabe by the nickname “Gabs.” She recalled, “He was a nice kid, who was sweet to my little girls. But he was spoiled by his dad, who gave him anything that he wanted. There was a strangeness about his daddy.”

In Jasmine's opinion, Danny was very possessive and protective of Gabs to the point that it made her very uneasy.

One instance of this stuck out in Jasmine's mind. “Gabs was going to spend a night over at a friend's house. It was only to be for one night, but Danny Morris cried because his son would not be home that night.”

 

 

Gabe's maternal grandmother, Lynn Walsh, also knew the circumstances in which Gabe and his family lived. Years later she said, “My husband and I lived right across the street from my daughter when Gabe was born. I knew my daughter's husband, Daniel Morris, and I had a lot of concerns about him, even before Robin married him. He was untruthful. He was just not the type of person she should have been with. We asked our daughter not to marry him, but she did, anyway. Gabe was a mischievous little boy, as some boys are, but he was a very loving child. We had a close relationship.”

The animosity that Gabe would later hold for his mom was nowhere in evidence as a child. Jesse said later, “He was the most loving boy you could imagine. He always needed the attention of his mother. He needed to have affection, to be hugged.”

As Gabe got older, Jesse said, “he was never an aggressive or violent kid, but he wouldn't allow himself or his friends to be picked on. He would stand up for himself. He would never start a fight, but he wouldn't allow himself to be picked on. He could handle himself when he had to.

“A good way to describe Gabe was, when you're a kid and get into trouble—well, a kid will fib and tell lies to get out of something. But Gabe wouldn't do that. He was always known for owning up for whatever he did wrong. And then he would get his spanking or whatever.”

 

 

As Gabe grew up, both he and his mom, Robin, loved reading books such as
The Lord of the Rings
and
The Hobbit.
Gabe had a colorful imagination, and the fantasy worlds portrayed in these books enthralled him. In fact, even at an early age, Gabe sometimes had a hard time distinguishing fantasy from reality. He didn't just read or hear some fantastical stories and knew that they were fiction. He began to really believe that he was somehow part of the story.

Gabe was incredibly enamored with the world of fantasy, especially with Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) and other role-playing games (RPGs). He would play them for hours upon hours. His father, Danny, was also very much into D&D. Jesse later described both father and son as “genius-level smart.” But that “genius level” may have been a curse as well as a blessing.

Interestingly, Danny Morris had graduated from high school and had taken a few junior-college courses, but he never earned a degree of any sort. Danny had held many different jobs while Gabe was growing up. Most of these were manual-labor positions, including one stint at a bread factory.

For Gabe, there were times he wasn't just playing the RPG; he seemed to have left the present world behind and actually believed he was part of the imaginary world of his creation. Gabe became a wizard or a warrior. Brother Jesse worried about this obsession in his younger brother.

Jesse later said that he told his brother to go outside and play instead of being so fixated on Dungeons and Dragons. But as in many things Gabe did, and would do later, he seemed to zero in on some task to the exclusion of everything else. It wasn't enough to enjoy it. He felt that he had to master whatever it was. Gabe never felt whole unless he was the best at something. And if he wasn't the best at something, he would invent tales of how he was. These stories were very convincing; but unfortunately for Gabe, he began to convince himself about things that weren't true.

Gabe always seemed to carry situations too far. When he and Jesse “roughhoused,” Gabe would push things to another level. Jesse related, “He'd bite, or go for the groin. Mom sometimes called him ‘the Devil Child.'”

 

 

Part of Gabe's obsessive behavior may have come from the deteriorating marriage of Robin and Danny. Jesse would later say that Danny was abusive to Robin and to him. Gabe would also later relate that he was abused, but it's hard to know for sure, since many things he said later could be proven to be false. It was a fact, however, that his father did obsess on Gabe to the point of mentally disturbed behavior.

Gabe's grandmother Lynn said, “We urged our daughter to separate from her husband and get custody of Gabe. We said we would get an apartment for her, and she should get a restraining order against Danny. We were afraid that Danny would just take Gabe and leave. Robin said, no, that Danny would never do anything like that. But she was working and my husband and I were at home with Gabe. The police came and it was Danny who had gone to a judge and got a restraining order on her.

“Gabe was upset by being taken by the police. And we were terribly upset. We asked the police if we could do anything. And the officer said that if we didn't let Gabe go with them, we would be in contempt of court. So we let him go. His father took him to Escondido, and we didn't see much of Gabe after that.”

Robin may have been threatened by Danny, and she would later say that he physically mistreated her. For whatever reason, she was scared enough of him to flee all the way up to Coquille, Oregon. It was a very hasty departure, leaving Gabe with a man who seemed to have a disturbing obsession with him.