Trial for 1991 murder underway

EPHRATA — A trial for a murder case that is over two decades old began in Grant County Superior Court this week.

Arnulfo Bravo, 66, is accused of killing Barbara J. Kipp, his girlfriend at the time, in Moses Lake in 1991. According to court documents, Kipp was found dead in her South Adams Street home on Oct. 1, 1991, by her roommate. The roommate reportedly told police Kipp advised him she was having difficulties in her relationship with Bravo and she was planning to break up with him.

"(Kipp's roommate) further related that Kipp had told him Bravo had threatened to kill her before and stated he would kill her if anything came between them," reads courts documents.

Other witnesses told investigators Kipp confided to them as well that she was afraid of Bravo. Court records indicate Bravo strangled Kipp and stole jewelry, money and a 1987 Ford Tempo, which Kipp’s roommate was letting her use, from her residence. On Oct. 7, 1991 Bravo’s friend contacted a Moses Lake Police Department detective and advised Bravo called him from the Sacramento area and admitted to taking the Tempo, money and jewelry. Bravo also told his friend he was returning to Moses Lake to talk about Kipp’s death.

Bravo met with a detective the next day and admitted to the jewelry, money and car theft. A warrant was later issued for his arrest in connection with Kipp's death, but Bravo was able to evade police contact for 25 years until he was apprehended during a traffic stop in Texas in 2016.

Bravo has opted for a jury trial and testimony from witnesses began this week. Most of the testimony on Thursday centered around the autopsy done on Kipp’s body by former Chelan County Coroner Dr. Gerald Rappe.

Back when Rappe was contacted by Grant County to perform Kipp’s autopsy, the doctor wasn’t initially able to determine Kipp’s cause of death. He concluded she was strangled, but he couldn’t say for sure if the strangulation, which appears to have been done by human hands, caused her death or something else caused it, such as a drug overdose. Toxicology reports came back negative for drugs however.

Rappe explained the physical details that pointed toward strangulation. Rappe concluded Kipp, who at the time of her death was also battling leukemia, died as a result of pulmonary edema and the foam in her windpipe, stemming from, in Rappe’s opinion, strangulation

“I had enough evidence to indicate the person (Kipp) had died from strangulation alone,” Rappe told the court on Thursday.

After being questioned by the defense, Rappe admitted he didn’t come to the conclusion until about six months after receiving the case, due to his heavy caseload, acquiring outside opinions and, he said, just plain forgetting about the case. The defense has indicated they will be calling their own expert witness to testify.

The jury also heard testimony from MLPD Sgt. Brian Jones, who claimed after Bravo was brought back to Grant County and questioned he admitted to knowing who Kipp was. Jones said Bravo mentioned “strangling,” despite the sergeant claiming he never mentioned strangling before Bravo brought it up. Jones did not elaborate on the context of Bravo mentioning “strangling” however.

“Initially he (on the day that Kipp died and he says he found her) stated he was very scared. (He) checked her wrist. I later pressed him on any other attempts and he later confirmed that he checked her throat for a pulse also,” Jones stated.

Testimony in the case continued today and is expected to continue into next week.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@coumbiabasinherald.com.