John B. Eisenman is a Spokane, Washington man who, together with his fiancée Brenda D. Kross, kidnapped, tortured, and killed his teenage daughter’s 19-year-old boyfriend, Andrew Sorensen, in October 2020 after falsely accusing Sorensen of selling the girl into sex trafficking. Eisenman pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in November 2024 and was sentenced on March 14, 2025, to just over 25 years in prison. Kross pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and received eight and a half years. Law enforcement agencies confirmed there was no evidence Sorensen, a young man with cerebral palsy and autism, had any connection to sex trafficking.1The Spokesman-Review. Man Who Brutally Killed 19-Year-Old Sentenced
What Eisenman and Kross Did to Andrew Sorensen
In October 2020, Eisenman drove to Seattle saying he needed to rescue his juvenile daughter from a trafficking situation. He told investigators he believed Sorensen had sold her to a trafficking ring for $1,000. He returned to the Spokane area with his daughter that same month.2NBC News. Man Killed His Daughter’s Boyfriend
Shortly after, Eisenman and Kross confronted Sorensen at a mobile home park in Airway Heights, Washington. According to court documents, they bound his hands and ankles with zip ties, taped his mouth shut, and forced him into the trunk of a Honda Accord registered to Kross. Eisenman punched Sorensen, struck him in the head with a cinder block, and stabbed him repeatedly in the stomach. Kross admitted to joining in the assault, punching the victim and helping strike him with the cinder block.3Idaho State Journal. Parents Plead Guilty to Killing Daughter’s 19-Year-Old Boyfriend
Witnesses later told investigators that while Sorensen was still alive in the trunk, begging for his life, Kross played a song about crying and the two laughed and sang along. After Sorensen died, Eisenman drove the car to a property off U.S. Highway 2 near Rochester Heights Park in northeast Spokane, removed the battery, and abandoned the vehicle with the body still inside.3Idaho State Journal. Parents Plead Guilty to Killing Daughter’s 19-Year-Old Boyfriend Eisenman later told the court he was likely under the influence of methamphetamine at the time, having been using the drug daily around that period.4The Spokesman-Review. Court Documents: Police Don’t Have Verifiable Facts
The body stayed in the trunk for roughly a year. In October 2021 the Honda was moved to a new location, and people rummaging through the car noticed a foul odor and called police. Officers confirmed the human remains inside on October 22, 2021.5WAFB. Father Accused of Killing Daughter’s Boyfriend
The Trafficking Accusations Were Unsupported
Eisenman’s stated motive drew sympathetic attention and, according to reporting, helped him raise money for his legal defense. No agency corroborated any part of it.1The Spokesman-Review. Man Who Brutally Killed 19-Year-Old Sentenced
Washington State Patrol spokesman Chris Loftis said the agency had “no investigation of him related to sex trafficking” and was “not involved with any investigation involving Mr. Sorensen.” The FBI declined to confirm or deny any investigation. Spokane Police Cpl. Nick Briggs said the trafficking allegations came solely from Eisenman and that police could not “corroborate the veracity of any of those statements.”6The Independent. Andrew Sorensen Body Found in Car Trunk No formal trafficking investigation into Sorensen was ever opened, and Eisenman’s daughter was not publicly identified.
Sorensen’s family called the accusations a slander. His father, Randy Sorensen, said Andrew was a disabled young man without the capacity to engage in trafficking. His mother, Theresa Sorensen, said her son had an IQ of 81 and told reporters, “If anybody could be taken advantage of, it was him.”7NBC News. Man Allegedly Killed Daughter’s Boyfriend No Hero, Grieving Family Says
Who Andrew Sorensen Was
Sorensen was born with cerebral palsy and autism and was diagnosed as developmentally delayed. He entered Theresa and Randy Sorensen’s home as a foster child at six months old and was later adopted. His physical and mental health required extensive therapies and doctor appointments throughout his life.8KHQ. Family of 19-Year-Old Found Deceased in Trunk Releases Statement
He earned his high school diploma in June 2020, a few months before he was killed. His family remembered him as affectionate and generous: he befriended homeless people, and once gave his shoes to a friend on the street and walked home barefoot. His sister, Madilynn Payne, called him a hero who had supported her through hard times. After he disappeared in late 2020, his family spent a year searching for him before his body was found.9The Spokesman-Review. Spokane Woman Gets 8½ Years for Killing Daughter’s Boyfriend
Arrest, Guilty Pleas, and Sentencing
Eisenman was arrested on or about October 29, 2021, and charged with first-degree murder. He was held on $1 million bail at the Spokane County Jail.6The Independent. Andrew Sorensen Body Found in Car Trunk Kross was booked on suspicion of first-degree murder and pleaded not guilty in September 2022.10KHQ. Spokane Woman Sentenced to 8.5 Years for Role in Man’s Death
On November 14, 2024, both defendants entered guilty pleas in Spokane County Superior Court. Eisenman pleaded guilty as charged to first-degree murder. Kross pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, a substantial reduction from her original murder charge. Prosecutors and defense attorneys jointly recommended 22 years for Eisenman (the low end of a 20-to-27-year standard range, plus a two-year deadly weapon enhancement) and eight years for Kross (toward the high end of a six-and-a-half to eight-and-a-half-year range).11The Spokesman-Review. Spokane Parents Plead Guilty to Killing Daughter’s Boyfriend
Brenda Kross
Judge Annette Plese sentenced Kross on January 16, 2025, to eight and a half years in prison, the high end of the standard range, followed by three years of community supervision. Plese told Kross she had received a “pretty good break” by pleading to manslaughter instead of murder. Eight members of Sorensen’s family addressed the court. His mother said the sound of her son begging for his life haunts her every night. His father called Kross the “mastermind” behind the crime and asked for the maximum sentence. Kross apologized, saying she stays awake at night thinking about the lives she affected.12KXLY. Spokane Woman Sentenced in 2020 Murder of 19-Year-Old Man
John Eisenman
Eisenman’s sentencing, originally set for the same day, was postponed because his attorney was absent. He was sentenced on March 14, 2025. Judge Plese imposed 280 months plus additional time for a weapons enhancement, totaling just over 25 years. The sentence exceeded the 22 years both sides had jointly recommended and sat in the middle of the standard range.1The Spokesman-Review. Man Who Brutally Killed 19-Year-Old Sentenced
Nine family members delivered impact statements. Randy Sorensen addressed Eisenman directly: “It would have just taken a phone call, brother. You’re going to prison, and my kid’s dead.” He added, “Evil came over you. I feel like John is a really evil man, and I don’t know why.” Theresa Sorensen told the court, “He counted on me to care for him and to take care of him, and I’m really sorry I don’t get to anymore.” Andrew’s grandfather, Curtis Boutain, said the trafficking accusations were “a slander that affects our whole family.” His aunt, Judy Boutain, called the defendants “monsters” who “acted as if they were heroes” after being caught and said that “killing Andrew was a party for John and Brenda.” Eisenman told the court that he, not Kross, was responsible for killing Sorensen, and said he expected to die in prison.1The Spokesman-Review. Man Who Brutally Killed 19-Year-Old Sentenced