Charges filed in death of celebrity dog trainer

Summary

Skagit County prosecutors have filed first-degree murder charges in Superior Court in the death of a celebrity dog trainer whose body has yet to be found. Stover and his ex-wife had run a dog training camp that boasted a clientele of celebrities.

Story Published: Nov 14, 2009 at 8:24 AM PST

Story Updated: Nov 14, 2009 at 8:24 AM PST

Charges filed in death of celebrity dog trainer

Dingo, a Belgian malinois, is seen at the veterinarian's office where the dog is being treated, Nov. 4, 2009, in Anacortes, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) - Skagit County prosecutors have filed first-degree murder charges in Superior Court in the death of a celebrity dog trainer whose body has yet to be found.

Prosecutors filed the charges against 41-year-old Michiel Glen Oakes of Kennewick in the death of 57-year-old Mark Stover.

Stover and his ex-wife had run a dog training camp that boasted a clientele of celebrities, including Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, singer Chris Cornell, moviemaker Cameron Crowe, and Seattle Mariner Ichiro Suzuki among others.

Prosecutors say Oakes planned Stover's death and point to supplies - including three ankle weights and an anchor line - he allegedly bought on the day Stover disappeared.

Court documents say a single .22 caliber round and a .22 gun silencer were also found in a backpack Oakes had allegedly purchased.