Naman Shrestha
In the episode titled ‘Surviving the Washington Woodsman’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘People Magazine Investigates: Surviving A Serial Killer,’ the primary focus is on multiple crimes against young women in the state of Washington in the 1970s, including the horrific killings of Krista Blake and Martha Morrison in 1974. When the two women disappeared in July and September 1974, respectively, the entire community was left shell-shocked. As the detectives investigated the cases, they eventually found similarities and linked them to the same perpetrator.
Krista Blake and Martha Morrison Went Missing Just Months Apart in 1974
Krista Kay Blake entered the lives of Paul P. Blake and Colleen Chloe Hanson Blake on June 6, 1954, as a little bundle of joy. She grew up in a seemingly loving household with her brother, Lanny Spencer Blake. By the time she turned 20, Krista was in a romantic relationship and was looking forward to spending the rest of her life with her boyfriend. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. On the fateful evening of July 11, 1974, in Vancouver, Washington, the 20-year-old woman was last seen by her boyfriend getting inside a 1973 blue Ford van outside a convenience store at 29th and K streets.
Two years later, on July 16, 1974, a couple of Portland residents came across human remains in a shallow grave on Tukes Mountain near Battle Ground and notified the authorities. After the police unearthed the remains, they determined that they belonged to Krista Kay Blake, who had her limbs bound. There was also evidence of torture from metal darts. Due to the decomposition, the cause of death was seemingly undetermined, but the medical examiner concluded that she had likely been strangled. Meanwhile, a couple of months after Krista’s disappearance and murder, another young woman named Martha Marie Morrison went missing in September 1974 from Portland, Oregon. Born in 1957, the sister of Michael Morrison and Reba reportedly grew up in foster care in Lane County, Oregon. Since her mother was allegedly deaf, Martha knew how to converse in sign language.
The student of Roosevelt High School was described as sociable, friendly, and bubbly. She also reportedly attended the Corvallis Farm School in Corvallis before participating in the Job Corps program in Arizona. As per reports, she had a habit of running away from her foster and biological families, as well as the Corvallis Farm School. After disappearing under mysterious circumstances, her remains were found on October 12, 1974, in a wooded area of Dole Valley near Vancouver, Washington, alongside the remains of another woman named Carol Platt Valenzuela. However, Martha’s remains were unidentified for more than four decades until July 2015. Due to decomposition, the cause of her death was also undetermined.
Krista Blake and Martha Morrison’s Killer Was Ultimately Brought to Justice For Both Murders
While the police searched for Krista Blake after her sudden disappearance, they spoke to several witnesses, who witnessed her getting into a 1973 blue Ford car driven by an unknown male individual. A couple of witnesses also reported seeing Krista and the man near Lewisville Park moments before her disappearance. The van’s description, gathered from witness statements, led authorities to Warren Leslie Forrest, who owned a similar van. The same van also became the reason why he was suspected of being involved in the disappearances and murders of several other women between 1971 and 1974. On the day Krista went missing, Warren was not working, and his mother claimed that he had left the house in the evening and didn’t return until the next morning.
On the basis of these pieces of evidence and witness statements, Warren was arrested on October 2, 1974, and charged with Krista’s murder in 1978. His trial commenced in early 1979 but ended in a mistrial. A few months later, the trial resumed in April 1979, and Warren pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. In his defense, he claimed that he was on vacation in Long Beach with his wife and kids at the time of the crime. During the trial, his mother corroborated his alibi and gave a contradictory statement about his whereabouts on the day of Krista’s disappearance. His wife, Sharon, also spoke in his defense, claiming that he suffered from blackouts frequently. On the other hand, several witnesses also testified against him.
In the end, Warren was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 1979. In the years that followed, Warren and his defense counsel filed multiple appeals and parole applications, all of which were denied by the Court of Appeals. While he was incarcerated in 2017, the investigators also suspected him of killing Martha Morrison, whose blood was found on an air pistol he owned, linking him to her killing. Finally, in 2020, Warren was charged with the homicide of Martha and extradited back to Clark County to face the charges.
Warren Forrest is Currently Incarcerated at a Washington Prison
Not long after, on February 7, 2020, Warren Forrest pleaded not guilty to killing Martha Morrison. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his trial was delayed multiple times before finally commencing in January 2023. The prosecution called several witnesses to the stand, including Martha’s brother, Michael Morrison, and one of Warren’s alleged survivors, Norma Lewis. Michael told the jury how his DNA helped law enforcement to identify the remains of his sister, who had gone missing in 1974. Meanwhile, Norma testified that the defendant abducted her from near her home in Ridgefield, Washington, at knifepoint. According to her, Warren hog-tied her wrists and ankles together before tying her between two trees. Somehow, she managed to escape and went to a Parks’ employee’s office, from where the authorities were alerted.
A few weeks of testimony hearing later, in the first week of February 2023, Warren Forrest was found guilty of first-degree murder of Martha Morrison after just an hour and a half of deliberations. About two weeks later, he was sentenced to another life sentence. Furthermore, Martha’s brother issued a plea, stating, “It is time for you to let the families of the other women know where their daughters are. Please, please, they have suffered for too long not knowing, just as my family did. You cannot undo the past, but you have the power to help their families to find some peace.” As of today, the 76-year-old killer is serving his sentences at Airway Heights Corrections Center in Airway Heights, Washington.
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