Stone Family's Legacy Etched In Castle Rock

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Benjamin Pingle's twin daughters Liberty and Justice, born in 2005.

Even in July, the snow from last February's flurries was still melting on the highest peaks of Mount Ranier, before it would drain into the Cowlitz River and flow just past the small town of Castle Rock, in southwest Washington.

Castle Rock’s claim to fame is its nickname, “Gateway to Mount St. Helens,” which is just a few miles to the west.

Short of the occasional volcanic eruptions, the tight-knit community is a subdued one, where people don’t just come to live, but instead, they come to stay.

Long before his hair turned gray, Cordell Stone did just that.

He told AMW that he and his wife, Marlene, settled here 50 years ago, when Cord was just beginning to eek out a living as a builder.

According to Cord, he taught himself how to build just about anything with his bare hands. Over time, he seemed to do well for himself.

Cord says he has constructed motels, churches, houses, restaurants and apartment buildings around town.

“I was always blessed with work. People have always given me work and I was blessed with income,” Cord said.

Today, he and Marlene live in a house they built themselves and generate much of their income from rental properties on their land.

As a generous token to insure a head-start in life for his three children, Cord gave five acres to each of them.

Nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren later, they vowed to do anything for each of them -- no matter what.

“I was always doing work. I figured it was a man’s duty to provide for the family and take care of the family. And my wife takes care of the family at home. It worked out,” Cord told AMW.

With their house, rental units and a doting family, the couple believed their golden years would be paved with 24-karat bricks. But recently, the most horrific chapter in the Stone family history began to unfold.

Justice For All

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Cops say Ben Pingle skipped bail posted by his grandfather and went on the run in May 2009.

Back in 2005, Cord welcomed two great-granddaughters into the family -- twins named Liberty and Justice. Just twelve weeks after they were born, a unexpected tragedy struck. Cops said their father, Benjamin Pingle, told them he found Justice dead on the living room floor.

According to autopsy reports, Justice was killed from “closed-head trauma, with the manner of death being homicide.” Cops also told AMW her sister, Liberty, had experienced unexplainable scrapes and bruises to her head.

Detectives said the death of Justice and the assault on Liberty were no accidents.

They charged Cord Stone’s grandson, Benjamin Pingle, with manslaughter and third-degree assault. Pingle pleaded not guilty.

At trial, the prosecution won their case when the jury convicted Pingle and sentenced him to ten years in prison.

A Bond Of Love

The judge ruled that Pingle could be released on $250,000 bail for the duration of a planned appeal.

The convicted baby-killer turned to the one man he knew had the financial means to keep him out of jail. His grandfather, Cord Stone, gave $25,000 in cash to the bondsman.

Then, he told AMW he put his house and rental properties up for the remaining collateral.

“I believe in Benjamin and believe that he didn’t do anything to hurt that baby, intentionally or unintentionally,” he said.

Cord said his grandson promised him he wouldn’t let him down.

On The Run

According to Cord, on May 9, 2009, Pingle’s dad dropped his son off at the Burger King on 30th Street in nearby Longview. He said Pingle told them he was heading to band practice and had a backpack and friend’s acoustic guitar, a Taylor CE210, with him.

Cops and family members told AMW that was the last time anyone claimed to have seen him.

Cord and Marlene Stone said they are currently in a “grace period” and that if they don’t come up with the remainder of the money or if Benjamin Pingle isn’t apprehended, the State of Washington will foreclose on their property.

Cord says they stand to lose much of what they worked for most of their lives.

“All that work, 52 years of labor gone in the time it takes to sign a contract,” he said.

But Cord says he isn’t without compassion. He wants his grandson, Pingle, home safely and more importantly, he says he still wants closure over the death of his great-granddaughter. 

“Ultimately, I want justice for Justice and right now there is none,” he told us.

However, that all changed on July 30, 2009 when authorities tracked Pingle to his girlfriend's house in Texas.  After months on the lam, Benjamin Pingle was arrested and brought into custody. 

End Of The Line For Pingle

On the morning of July 30, 2009, Benjamin Pingle was arrested at the home of a girlfriend in Euless, Texas. The U.S. Marshals say they had already tracked him to a Greyhound bus bound for the Dallas-Fort Worth area but couldn’t be sure of his destination.