Ecklund and Tanya Caldwell began questioning both McCollum and Pool in the upstairs of the residence in an attempt to determine who had narced on appellant and Caldwell.   Several individuals were present during the questioning, including Christopher Olson and Rick Ligenza.   Their attention shifted fully to the questioning of Pool, which included questioning about missing money and drugs.   Pool repeatedly denied narcing on appellant and Caldwell, and the arguing escalated to physical violence against Pool, with most of the hitting and kicking being done by Ecklund and Ligenza.   At one point, Pool attempted to escape down the stairs, but McCollum body-slammed him, brought him back upstairs, and confined him by duct-taping his wrists, upper body, and ankles.   Tanya Caldwell threatened Pool with a taser, which is a high-voltage stun gun.
After this incident on July 18 and until July 20, Pool was bound with duct tape and repeatedly beaten.   Another acquaintance of appellant, Isaac Engstrom, testified that McCollum called him on July 19 and asked him to come to the Pool residence because he found out who had snitched on appellant and Caldwell.   When Engstrom arrived, Ecklund, McCollum, Toby Johnson, and Pool were present.   When Scott Bernhardt, appellant's brother, arrived, the group began to beat and question Pool again.   Pool was punched, kicked, and beaten with a closet rod.   After each questioning and beating, Pool was duct-taped to a chair and placed in a small cellar that could only be accessed through a trap door in a closet floor.   Other witnesses-including Brian Amundsen, David Oliva, Jessica Fank, Tina Artmann, and Chad Moehring-also testified to being present at the Pool residence over the three-day period and seeing Pool taped-up, beaten, or placed beneath the floor in the cellar.
On the evening of July 20, Pool was forced into a duffel bag by McCollum, and the duffel bag was zipped up.   Ecklund sprayed aerosol into the bag, and McCollum stood on Pool's neck until his breathing could no longer be heard.   McCollum and Engstrom carried the duffel bag containing Pool's body to a car and loaded the bag into the trunk.   Ecklund then drove McCollum and Engstrom to a train trestle over the Clearwater River.   Engstrom tied a concrete block to the duffel bag and, with McCollum's assistance, threw the duffel bag over the edge of the train trestle into the river below.
