Bend Man Pleads Not Guilty To 2009 Murder On Eagle Creek Trail

A 40-year-old Bend man accused of murdering his girlfriend on a steep section of the Eagle Creek trail in March of 2009 pleaded not guilty in Hood River County Circuit Court.  Stephen Wagner Nichols entered the not guilty plea to a murder charge before Circuit Judge John Olson on Monday afternoon.  23-year-old Rhonda Casto of Portland fell 100 feet on March 16, 2009 about a mile from the Eagle Creek trailhead.  Nichols was arrested in early February in San Mateo County, California in February of this year.  A tentative trial date for Nichols is set for sometime between late May and July of next year.  A status check was scheduled for this July 7, while a motion for release hearing will take place in early August.  Nichols’ attorney Mike Arnold said during the proceedings a motion to suppress some evidence has been filed.

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