John Eisenman: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

John Eisenman of Spokane is accused of killing the boyfriend of his daughter, who Eisenman says sold her to a sex trafficking ring in Seattle.

John Brooks Eisenman, 60, is jailed in Spokane and charged with first-degree murder, according to his prison records.

According to The Spokesman-Review, Eisenman admitted to killing his daughter’s boyfriend, Andrew Sorensen, 20, in November 2020. He was questioned after Sorensen’s body was found in his fiancee’s car one year after the murder. Eisenman told police that he rescued his daughter from sex trafficking and then killed Sorenson in Airway Heights, the article said.

Eisenman’s arrest prompted a social media campaign to free him and a fundraiser to help pay for legal fees.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Eisenman Is Being Held on a $1 Million Bond in the Spokane County Jail

Eisenman was questioned by police twice in October 2021, nearly one year after Sorensen was killed, according to The Spokesman-Review. A neighbor told police that Eisenman had confessed to killing Sorensen and placing his body in a trunk, describing details only an involved person would know, the article said. Police spoke with Eisenman again, and he confessed, the article said.

“Eisenman told detectives that shortly after he rescued his daughter from forced prostitution in Seattle, he learned Sorensen would be at a specific place in Airway Heights, according to court documents. Eisenman said he confronted Sorensen in November 2020 before tying him up and putting him in his car trunk,” the article said.

Here is his jail record:

Spokane County Detention ServicesThe Spokane County Detention Services inmate roster.

The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office lists Sorensen’s cause and manner of death as pending. The media release, posted November 1, 2021, says Sorensen “died as the result of an incident at the corner of E Everett Ave and N Napa St in Spokane WA on October 22, 2021,” referencing the date and location Sorensen’s body was found.

2. Eisenman’s Step Daughter, Ashleye Kross, Started a Fundraising Page to Help Pay for Legal Fees

Ashleye Kross, the step-daughter of Eisenman, started a fundraising page on GiveSendGo to help cover legal costs for him. The page had received more than $50,000 in donations as of 11 a.m. Pacific time Sunday, November 7, 2021.

“This father did the unthinkable for some of us to save his little girl from an unspeakable life that causes long term scars and years of emotional damage. He did what most of us as parents would do or think about doing in a situation like this, prior to this he had no violent offenses,” Kross wrote on the page. “Many are calling him a hero. I would like to do all we can as a community to help him be a free man and have his day in court to defend his honor and the honor of his daughter.”

Kross emphasized in her posts that the only page associated with Eisenman is the GiveSendGo fundraiser. She wrote on Facebook that a GoFundMe started to raise funds was taken down, and the donations were reimbursed.

3. Eisenman’s Daughter Is ‘Safe Now,’ Her Sister Wrote on Facebook

Kross has posted on Facebook sharing her fundraising page for Eisenman and asking for recommendations for a criminal defense attorney. One person asked about her sister in a comment, and whether she is safe.

“It’s been a lot,” Kross replied. “The amount of support and caring we are receiving from the community is amazing. Yes my sister is safe now.”

She described her step father as “an amazing man” on her fundraising page.

“My step father is an amazing man, and an even better father. Thank you to everyone who has supported and helped our family,” she wrote.

4. The Investigation Into Eisenman Was Opened After Residents Found Sorensen’s Body in a Moldy Car

Sorenson was reported missing in November 2020, which Eisenman told police is when he hit the 20-year-old man with a cinder block, stabbed him and stuffed his body in a trunk, according to The Spokesman-Review. The body went undiscovered for nearly one year.

The investigation began in mid-October when residents on East Everett Avenue popped the trunk on an abandoned vehicle in their neighborhood, the article said. People had been “rummaging” through the vehicle, an unlocked green 1991 Honda Accord, taking items and noticing a foul odor, the article said. Someone popped the trunk, and found Sorensen’s body, zip-tied with tape over his mouth and punctures in his clothing, The Spokesman-Review reported. Investigators confirmed the body was Sorensen.

Police attempted to contact Brenda Kross, who was the registered owner of the vehicle. Eisenman answered the door when police arrived at their home, and said the vehicle had been stolen a year earlier. He later admitted to driving the car to a remote location after killing Sorensen, the article said.

5. Eisenman’s Fiancee, Brenda Kross, Said She Is ‘Proud’ of John & Called Him ‘The Best Father I Could Have for My Children’

Brenda Kross spoke to KHQ in an interview about her fiance’s arrest and the rescue of their daughter. Kross said they learned in October 2020 that Sorensen had sold their underage daughter into a Seattle sex trafficking ring for $1,000, according to KHQ.

“It was something that a lot of men say they would do for their daughter,” Kross said of the rescue and the killing.

KHQ reported Eisenman does not have a criminal history and that he “has always been a stand-up citizen, worker and father.”

Kross told KHQ the support she has received from the community and people online gives her hope that Eisenman may be freed.

“John is a very selfless father very giving, loving, loyal. He is the best father I could have ever had for my children,” she said. “I’m very proud of John and I’m blessed to have had him in my life and I want him back home.”

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