By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch A Graham-area man now faces a possible sentence of life in prison for allegedly murdering a woman and hiding her body last summer. The charge against Jonathan Daniel Harris was increased last week to murder in the first degree for killing Nicole White, 28. In June, Harris pleaded not guilty to murder in the second degree. Since then, a forensic anthropologist determined White was brutally beaten to death, which allowed authorities to heighten the charge to first degree, said Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Lindquist. Under state sentencing laws, a conviction of first-degree murder GÇô a kllling that was willful and premeditated GÇô carries a maximum sentence of life in prison or a minimum of 25 years. Prison time can be shorter for second-degree murder, a killing that occurs intentionally but isn't planned. The forensic analysis of White's death and "persistent police work" resulted in the higher charge against Harris, Lindquist said, adding, "We're holding the defendant fully accountable.GÇ¥ Harris pleaded not guilty Nov. 4 to the amended charge and is being held in jail in lieu of $2 million bail while awaiting trial. White was missing for two weeks until her body was found June 20 near Lake Kapowsin. Cell phone tracking records and data stored on an ignition interlock device in the vehicle showed Harris later drove his car to the site where he allegedly left White's body, authorities said. During a search of Harris' home, Pierce County Sheriff detectives found the sweatshirt he was wearing on the night that White disappeared after the two went to a bar in Spanaway. Authorities said DNA from blood on the sweatshirt was a match to White. The forensic anthropologist who examined White's body discovered severe facial, chest and arm fractures that are consistent with being stomped, according to Lindquist. Court documents detailing the case against Harris state that he and White drove from the bar to his house, where he beat her to death and wrapped her body in a tarp. Then Harris, described by authorities as 6 foot 7 and weighing 270 pounds, allegedly drove to a wooded area south of Lake Kapowsin and rolled White's body into a ravine.
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