The late afternoon discovery of Shaddie Graham’s body on September 29, 2017, ended with a homicide determination. Graham, 32, a Black/African American man from Spanaway, Washington, was found on a wooded trail near Guerin Park in Olympia; the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office determined he had been fatally shot.

Within days investigators identified a person of interest, Christopher M. Heeren, 32, of Olympia. Heeren was arrested October 2, 2017, on a probation violation. Detectives say they uncovered evidence linking Heeren to Graham’s death, and suspected the motive involved a dispute over drugs and a firearm Heeren had stolen. Ballistics results from the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab led to a first-degree murder charge; Heeren was also charged with first-degree burglary, unlawful possession of a firearm, and trafficking in stolen property. A jury later found Christopher Heeren guilty of Graham’s murder in May 2019.

Anyone who knew Shaddie Graham or has information about events in Olympia around late September 2017 is asked to come forward.