Community Pays Tribute to Murdered Woman

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About 70 people gathered for a memorial in Twisp Park on Sunday afternoon to honor Sharon Gray, 49, who was murdered by her husband, Jason Rumohr. 

Gray was an Eastern medicine practitioner and nutritionist specializing in digestive health. Rumohr is a certified Hellerwork Practitioner, licensed massage therapist, and movement educator, according to his website.

This is the third shooting and second murder of a spouse in Okanogan County since April 30 of this year.

The Okanogan County Sherriff’s Office received a call on May 18 at 10:40 pm that a deceased female was wrapped in a tarp near mile post 207 on HWY 20 in Twisp, according to a press release. The female was identified as Gray. Rumohr, 50, was booked into Okanogan County Corrections Center on Saturday, May 19 at 4 am on charges of first-degree murder and domestic violence.

Thea Elijah, who had been talking to Gray daily before her death, said it’s not clear what happened that night, but Rumohr had been struggling with mental health issues since contracting COVID and was receiving care through a University of Washington program studying long COVID. He met with a psychiatrist, as part of that program, on May 16. 

“The psychiatrist was not concerned about harm to others,” according to Elijah. “From professionals, [there was] absolutely no concern that anything of this sort would happen. However, [there was] a clear sense that okay, this man is ill and we need some help right away.” 

Elijah said that according to the psychiatrist, it appeared Rumohr had psychosis with catatonia. He was referred to a neurologist to rule out non-psychological issues, but there were no appointments until mid-July. Rumohr was prescribed medication.

Elijah said Rumohr’s family told the police he needs medical care and that “he would never, ever do this in his right mind.” 

“I think the family’s concern and my concern as well is that Jason be treated, not stigmatized. He loved her so much. Even in the last couple of days, there was a moment when she would just talk to him anyway, even though he would not [respond]. She said, ‘I’m going to Bud’s. I’m going to help him out. I’ll be right back. Love you and went out to the truck and he came out, knocked on the window, she rolled it down, and he said, ‘Love you, too’ and went back into the house. There were a number of incidences like that where when he was able to be present, he was present lovingly, but he just was not able to be present a lot of the time.”

For a time, it was not clear whether Rumohr’s symptoms were due to depression or something else. Elijah said it was difficult to navigate the system to get help.

“We all knew that Jason was ill. We knew that. Sharon was looking for help for him,” she said, adding that “there was no indication, no warning that he would do anything like this.”

“She never felt unsafe,” she said.

“I love them so much. I was so shocked and upset. I wanted to see if there’s anything I can do, especially for Jason,” said Elijah.

Elijah described Jason as a “gentle, kind, patient person, not aggressive. In fact, he was not good at standing up for himself.”

Elijah travelled from Vermont, where she lives, to honor Gray. She helped prepare Gray’s body for burial, according to Muslim tradition. Gray was buried in a Muslim cemetery in Seattle, facing Mecca. Elijah said most cemeteries are not set up to place a body facing Mecca.

A Muslim community paid for the burial and a GoFundMe page is being set up to pay them back so they can help others.

Elijah said Gray converted to Islam three to four years ago and practiced Sufi tariqa.

“Her way of being a Muslim is the true Islam with a huge open heart, very inclusive, not a degraded fundamentalist kind of thing that unfortunately is too often portrayed. This was the big, big, big, big love,” said Elijah.

People honored Gray by forming a circle, singing, and laying flowers in the shape of a mandala. Some cried during the service. 

A recipe for one of Gray’s favorite concoctions, oat straw and lavender infusion, was provided along with samples from a beverage cooler.