Mentally ill Spokane man accused in longtime friend and roommate's shooting death

Sept. 17--A man with a mental illness is accused of shooting and killing his childhood friend and leaving the body for several days in the home where they lived north of Spokane.

Deputies responded to the home Michael J. Prows, 57, and Greg S. Ainley, 57, shared at 12612 N. Hamilton Ave., Tuesday evening, after David Ainley, Greg's brother, called 911 to report he hadn't heard from him in several days. David Ainley told deputies that Prows could be seen inside the home but would not answer the door. Greg Ainley was developmentally delayed, according to court records.

Deputies forced their way inside after looking in a basement window and seeing Ainley on his bed, according to court documents. Once inside they found the door to Ainley's bedroom had been barricaded with furniture from the outside. Prows later told investigators that he barricaded the door because he felt guilty.

Prows was found in a chair in the living room and was unresponsive even as deputies handcuffed him, according to court documents. Later Prows became alert and told deputies he went to Ainley's room and shot him in the chest and head, the documents state. He also said the two had not been fighting and he was not angry. Deputies believe Ainley had been dead several days when he was found.

Prows said he placed the gun under a chair cushion, where deputies recovered it. He told deputies he has been off his medication for a while and that although he knows the difference between right and wrong, "things are just not real" anymore, according to court documents.

Prows' brother, Paul Prows, told deputies that Michael Prows was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager, according to court records. When he was about 18, Prows shot the family dog because he believed the animal was possessed by the devil.

Paul Prows also told deputies that Michael Prows often is delusional and that Paul and his sister had been trying to move their brother into an assisted living facility, according to court documents.

Neighbors said the two were quiet and didn't cause trouble.

"In our opinion they were both really nice people," said Cliff Goss, who lives across the street from the home Michael Prows and Ainley shared.

Cliff and his wife Dottie have lived in the neighborhood for 59 years. They said Prows and Ainley were longtime friends and went to fourth-grade special education classes together.

"These two kids knew each other for years," Cliff Goss said.

Ainley moved in with Prows several months ago -- prior to that he'd been living with his younger brother David Ainley, and his brother's family. According to the Gosses, Greg Ainley moved out in an effort to be more independent. Dottie Goss said David Ainley often checked in on his brother and told neighbors that he was moving in.

"David and his wife are just grieving," Dottie Goss said. "We fear they're kind of blaming themselves."

Before Ainley moved in, Prows lived on his own. His mother died several years ago. The house was Prows' childhood home.

Ainley didn't drive, and although Prows had a license, he rarely left the house and didn't seem to have a job, according to neighbors. On Wednesday evening the house was shuttered and a man who opened the door declined to comment. Two vehicles in the driveway were in disrepair and covered in dust.

Neighbor Martha Speaks said Prows was helpful and friendly.

"I was very surprised and shocked to hear about it because he was a very nice fellow," she said.

Prows' attorney, Spokane County Public Defender Kari Reardon, argued in court Wednesday that her client is extremely mentally ill and not competent to assist in his defense. While sitting next to his attorney in court, Prows bobbed his head and made exaggerated chewing motions.

Prows is being held on one count of first-degree murder.

His bond was set at $1 million. The prosecuting attorney in the case had requested a bond of $2 million based on "grave safety concerns." Prows has no criminal record.

Prows responded to the judge when spoken to, either stuttering or speaking slowly and deliberately as he talked. After appearing to become more agitated, he was escorted out of the courtroom before the hearing ended.

Before the hearing, Prows often sat hunched over, sometimes with his head in his hands.

"I'm a very tortured guy," he said to his court-appointed attorney Reardon.

Nina Culver can be reached at ninac@spokesman.com or (509) 459-5473. Eli Francovich can be reached at elif@spokesman.com or (509) 459-5417.

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