An EWU maintenance employee was murdered in his home north of Spokane last week, and his 35-year-old son has been arrested on a charge of first degree murder.

According to court documents obtained by the Spokesman-Review, Robert ‘Bob’ Bossard’s body was discovered by a caregiver on the morning of Nov. 9. After the caregiver entered the house and was told by Bossard’s wife Karen that “he’s dead,” the caregiver discovered Bossard’s body in the bathroom on the house’s main floor, with his body face-up in the bathtub and a gunshot wound to his forehead.

Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies noted in their report that there was blood “all over” the floor and walls of the bathroom, which they said suggests that Bossard did not commit suicide. Furthermore, a 9 mm handgun “in pristine condition with no visible blood anywhere on them” was found on the bathroom’s vanity in a plastic garbage bag.

Police arrested Matthew Bossard later that day, after finding a shovel and a plastic bag that resembled a body bag in the backyard of the property while executing a search warrant. In an interview with detectives, Matthew Bossard said he heard a loud bang and entered the room and found his father’s body up against a wall. He told detectives that the tried to soak up the blood with decorative sand, and never called 911 or tried to provide medical assistance.

Matthew Bossard was acting “extremely paranoid” during the interview, according to the report from detectives. He said his father threatened to kick him out of the house on Wednesday night, and that he believed his father neglected his mother and did not take proper care of her. He is currently being held at Spokane County Jail, and his bond was set at $1 million at a court hearing earlier this week.

In 2014, Matthew Bossard and a woman were arrested in Eugene, Oregon after being accused of trying to burn down a pizza restaurant with moonshine. They were arrested on charges of arson and burglary, and Bossard faced an additional charge of criminal mischief.

On Monday, Nov. 13, EWU President Mary Cullinan announced Bob Bossard’s “sudden death” in a statement, and said that Bossard was “a longtime and beloved member of the Eastern Washington University community.”

Bob Bossard began at EWU in 1988 as an insulation worker, and had since elevated to the head of EWU’s Insulation and Hazardous Material Abatement Office. He earned three state abatement certifications, and according to Cullinan’s statement he was a highly skilled employee and was considered “an outstanding manager who guided his staff by listening and by using effective problem-solving skills.”

“EWU sends its deepest condolences to Bob Bossard’s family and those who worked with him over the years,” Cullinan said.