The family of deceased Burien man Mark Ebinger (pictured, left), 25, who was stabbed to death outside Good Time Ernie’s last November, has increased the reward offered to $10,000 in hopes of generating tips that will lead to an arrest.
Mark and his brother Peter, 24, were attacked outside the Burien bar on the morning of November 12, 2009. Mark died from stab wounds at the scene. Peter was stabbed numerous times, but survived.
Detectives believe there were several witnesses to the attack, and these witnesses might have information that could solve the case.
The homicide occurred outside Good Time Ernie’s Pub, located at 15747 Ambaum Blvd SW in Burien.
As we reported on Dec. 28, 2009 when we attended the family’s first press conference at the King County Sheriff’s office:
Peter recalled the attack, saying that a “few words were spoken to someone who was with us in the bar, and I told Mark we should leave…and as we left a group of guys came out the other door, a bottle was thrown at us, then they came at us with knives.”
“I was just scared, and was trying to get away,” Peter said. He also added that Mark was “kind of far away” from him in the parking lot at the time of the attack.
The Ebinger Family at the Dec. 28th press conference.
Peter also added that “someone else had words with one of the guys in the other group…” and he had no idea what was said, but is certain that the attacker(s) were in that group.
Once outside, “one guy came up in my face and tried to take a swing at me and another guy hit me from behind,” Peter continued. “I got stabbed probably six or seven times in the back…”
Peter said he’s “not planning on going back” to Goodtime Ernie’s anytime soon, “and no one I know is going back…”
Despite numerous rumors, there is no definite word on whether the attackers are part of a gang.
Mark Ebinger's brother Peter was also stabbed, but survived.
“We’re all very upset and angry, and well, you can imagine…”
Mark worked at a printing press and mostly did manual labor.
Regarding Mark’s death, Peter said: “It happened real fast and he didn’t feel much pain…”
The investigation is still ongoing.
“We know that someone out there knows something, saw something, or has heard something,” said Jim Laing. “…and that information might seem insignificant to them but it could be the information that cracks this case and we’re appealing to anyone who has any information to come forward.”
Laing continued: “No homicide case is ever closed until it’s closed, and this will remain open until it’s solved.”
On our original Nov. 12th report, there are now 105 Comments, which make for some very interesting reading – see it here – many comments are in scolding tones to those who were there that night but have refused to come forward to identify the suspect(s). Perhaps this higher reward will change that?
Crimestoppers is also offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information on the case.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours), or 9-1-1.
This week marks the fourth anniversary of the death of Nicole Pietz, who was last seen at her Lynnwood home by her husband on January 27, 2006.
The body of Pietz, 32, was found strangled Feb. 6, 2006, in a wooded area near South 114th and Des Moines Memorial Drive in Burien (see map below).
Her car, a 2003 Jetta was found in the University District about two weeks later.
After four years, this case remains unsolved, according to Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff’s Department.
The reward for information on the case that leads to an arrest or conviction is at $36,000. In addition, Gail Schneider, Nicole’s mother, has said the family will pay the legal costs for anyone who comes forward with information germane to the case, but wishes to use the services of an attorney.
The case is active and still under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit.
Here are some photos provided by the family of Nicole:
Pietz’ body was found in Burien in a wooded area near South 114th and Des Moines Memorial Drive:
View Larger Map
Anyone with information in the case is asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hrs).
Story & Photos by Scott Schaefer
On the busy 12400 block of Ambaum Blvd., a quiet, makeshift memorial stands as a tribute to Mikarah Nasabreo Sanders, the 15-year old girl who was shot and killed by her 16-year old boyfriend on New Year’s Eve, who later shot himself.
Sadly, Sanders died from her wounds and the male suspect is still being treated (and guarded) at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle (read our previous coverage here). King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg has said that the suspect will likely be charged as an adult with murder in connection with Sanders’ death.
The most recent reports we’ve heard are that the suspect was upset with something he read on Sanders’ MySpace page. Other reports say that the couple argued frequently.
Like most temporary memorials, this one’s got photos protected by plastic sleeves, melted candles and notes, as well as some odd and ironic items like a mysterious, open, black umbrella (we’re not sure of its significance – anyone know? UPDATE: Occam’s Razor called and told us that it was probably placed there to protect the shrine from rain), and an empty peach vodka bottle lying next to stuffed animals – all as a tribute to a life lost way too early.
Scott Schaefer stopped by Thursday morning (Jan. 7th) and shot this Photo Slideshow:
On a personal note, we’re getting kinda tired of seeing these memorials all around the Burien area. Let’s get along peeps!
Story & Photos by Scott Schaefer
It must’ve been the absolute toughest Christmas ever for the Ebinger family of Burien, as they had to celebrate without their son Mark, 25, who was fatally stabbed outside Goodtime Ernie’s Nov. 12th.
On Monday (Dec. 28th), the family held a press conference at the King County Sheriff’s office in downtown Seattle, where they offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect(s) in the fatal stabbing.
Acting Public Information Officer Jim Laing spoke, along with Mark’s brother Peter (who was also stabbed), 24, as his distraught parents, sister and girlfriend sat nearby, solemnly holding back tears; here’s the raw MP3 of the conference:
[display_podcast]
Peter recalled the attack, saying that a “few words were spoken to someone who was with us in the bar, and I told Mark we should leave…and as we left a group of guys came out the other door, a bottle was thrown at us, then they came at us with knives.”
“I was just scared, and was trying to get away,” Peter said. He also added that Mark was “kind of far away” from him in the parking lot at the time of the attack.
The Ebinger Family at Monday's press conference.
Peter also added that “someone else had words with one of the guys in the other group…” and he had no idea what was said, but is certain that the attacker(s) were in that group.
Once outside, “one guy came up in my face and tried to take a swing at me and another guy hit me from behind,” Peter continued. “I got stabbed probably six or seven times in the back…”
Peter said he’s “not planning on going back” to Goodtime Ernie’s anytime soon, “and no one I know is going back…”
Despite numerous rumors, there is no definite word on whether the attackers are part of a gang.
Mark Ebinger's brother Peter was also stabbed, but survived.
“We’re all very upset and angry, and well, you can imagine…”
Mark worked at a printing press and mostly did manual labor.
Regarding Mark’s death, Peter said: “It happened real fast and he didn’t feel much pain…”
The investigation is still ongoing.
“We know that someone out there knows something, saw something, or has heard something,” said Jim Laing. “…and that information might seem insignificant to them but it could be the information that cracks this case and we’re appealing to anyone who has any information to come forward.”
Laing continued: “No homicide case is ever closed until it’s closed, and this will remain open until it’s solved.”
If anyone has any information on this case, they should call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-274-6313.
$4,000 of the reward money comes from the Ebinger family, and $1,000 from Crimestoppers.
Here’s a video report on this case from KING-TV:
Read our previous coverage of this tragic incident here.
Mark Ebinger was just 25 when he was killed outside Goodtime Ernie's Nov. 12th.
The King County Sheriff’s Department alerts us that Peter K. Ebinger, 24, the brother of Mark K. Ebinger, 25, who was the victim of a fatal stabbing at Burien’s Goodtime Ernie’s last month, will hold a press conference on Monday, Dec. 28th.
Peter, 24, will offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who killed his brother, who was 25.
We’ll have a Reporter and Photographer on the scene Monday and will give a full report next week.
Here’s the text from an email we received from Sgt. Jim Laing:
On 11/12/09 at approx. 1.45 AM a large group attacked two brothers outside Good Time Ernies in Burien. Both brothers were stabbed several times and one died at the scene.
The deceased was identified as Mark K. Ebinger. His brother, Peter K. Ebinger spent several days in hospital but will recover from his wounds.
Detectives believe there are witnesses who have not come forward and that these witnesses have information that would help the investigation.
On December 28, 2009 at 1.30pm Peter Ebinger will speak to the Press and offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who killed his brother.
The Press Event will be held in Sheriff Rahr’s office, King County Courthouse, 3rd and James, 1st floor.
On Tuesday (Nov. 17th), Leemah Carneh, the man accused of murdering an elderly couple and two teens at a Des Moines home in 2001, pleaded guilty to murder.
Carneh, 28, pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated first-degree murder with a firearm for the brutal killings. These charges carry a mandatory life sentence, which King County Superior Court Judge Palmer Robinson imposed following the plea.
Carneh, who was 19 at the time, is accused of killing Richard and Jane Larson, 63 and 64, their grandson Taelor Marks, 17, and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Josie Peterson, in the Larsons’ home in March 2001. Peterson was a cheerleader at Evergreen High School when she was killed.
As we reported previously, Judge Robinson, following a competency hearing that took place over several weeks, ruled in August that Carneh was mentally fit to stand trial. He was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic not long after his arrest.
Carneh was arraigned on the four counts of aggravated first-degree murder immediately following Robinson’s ruling.
According to police investigators, Carneh allegedly gunned down Marks’ grandparents, hid their bodies, then waited inside the house for Peterson and Marks and brutally beat them in an ambush when they came home. King County prosecutors allege that Carneh was obsessed with Peterson, who didn’t know him.
He was arrested at his home two days after the killings. When police searched Carneh’s house after the killings they found a photo of Peterson, a ring belonging to Marks, luggage with the Larson’s name on it, a stereo from Marks’ car, a handgun – and bloody clothes.
Despite this evidence, criminal proceedings were delayed while Carneh was treated for his mental condition at Western State Hospital. On several occasions, he was returned to the King County Jail only to be sent back to the hospital when it was determined he still was not mentally competent to participate in his defense.
After prosecutors decided not to seek the death penalty, Carneh will now face life in prison without the possibility of parole. In late 2005, he received a civil commitment to Western State when another superior court judge ruled he still was not competent to stand trial but under state law no longer could be held on the criminal charges.
One year later, prosecutors were notified by officials at Western State that Carneh’s mental condition has improved to the point that he no longer needed constant supervision. They also said he was eligible to earn permission to leave the hospital grounds. At that point, prosecutors re-filed the murder charges and requested a new competency hearing for Carneh. But it took another two and a half years with a new treatment regime before he was finally found fit to stand trial.
Shortly before the original murder charges against Carneh were dismissed, Taelor’s mother Lorraine Marks said, “It’s unbelievable to me. He wrote the book on how to commit murder and get away with it…. I’m furious with the system.”
When the charges against Mr. Carneh were dismissed in 2005 and he was sent from the King County Jail back to the mental treatment facility, prosecutors said it was unlikely, even if he never went to trial for the murders, that he ever would ever be free again.
But late last year, prosecutors learned the defendant had made enough improvement to be unsupervised and perhaps even leave the grounds of the institution. At that point, they re-filed the charges of aggravated first-degree murder against him. Yet now, he again has been found mentally unfit. Western State staff believe additional treatment alternatives can help Mr. Carneh become competent so he finally can stand trial.
Sad scene outside Burien’s Goodtime Ernie’s this weekend, as a makeshift memorial has been built for the young man who was the victim of an early morning stabbing death last Thursday, Nov. 12th.
There is still no word from police on the suspect, and while the victim’s identity was revealed in Comments made on this website, we have chosen to withhold those until his name is officially released.
We’ll post updates as more information comes in, but for now, we encourage everyone to show respect for the victim’s family and friends, and to try and value life just a little bit more.
Publisher/Editor Scott Schaefer stopped by not only to take these photos, but to pay his respects as well:
According to King County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart, a bar fight at closing time at Burien’s Goodtime Ernie’s Sports Bar & Grill Thursday morning (Nov. 12th) led to the stabbing death of one man, age 25, while his brother (24) was seriously injured.
The victim died at the scene, and the brother was taken to Harborview with stab wounds. He is expected to survive.
The incident occurred about 1:40am at Good Time Ernie’s, which is located at 15747 Ambaum Blvd in Burien, behind Wizards Casino.
According to Urquhart, a fight inside the bar involving several people spilled out into the parking lot where the stabbings occurred.
A Burien man, age 25, died at the scene, despite CPR efforts from Sheriff’s deputies (Burien Police) and then from fire personnel. A second stabbing victim, age 24, and also from Burien, was taken to Harborview.
The two victims, who are brothers, have not yet been identified.
Sheriff’s detectives interviewed bar patrons and witnesses, but no one was arrested.
What prompted the fight is unknown, and the suspect is still at large.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours) or 9-1-1.
Publisher/Editor Scott Schaefer was on the scene this morning around 8:45am, where he spoke with investigators and saw a silver Lincoln Aviator SUV get impounded; he also took these photos (EDITOR’S NOTE: slideshow has been altered & all bloodstain photos have been removed out of respect for the bereaved):
RELATED:
According to The Wenatchee World, Kino Michael Gomez, 51, who was charged with first-degree murder in the July shooting of sound engineer and Des Moines native Tom Pfaeffle, has fled and is being sought by police.
According to the report, Gomez, of Seattle, wrote his family a “good-bye” letter, telling them he was taking a “one-way trip to the mountains.”
Gomez is charged in the shooting death of Pfaeffle, 49, at a Twisp hotel when Pfaeffle tried using his card key on the wrong room. Gomez fired two rounds through the door, killing Pfaeffle.
Here’s a quote from Gomez “good-bye” letter (see below for a scan of it):
“The media, the bloggers, the police, the justice system, none of whom witnessed the alleged crime, already hung me. … Well, just for spite, I shall deprive society of the circus it so bloody craves — the bearded lady quit!”
According to the World:
Twisp Police Chief Rick Balam said law enforcement agencies across the country have been notified, and are warned that he could be armed and dangerous. Gomez’s letter says he took his guns, and adds, “It will be quick and painless. Let no one get in my way — I will not be very kind. Despair has now changed to anger.”
Gomez was scheduled to attend a hearing in Okanogan County Superior Court tomorrow (Thursday, Sept. 17th).
Here’s a copy of the “good-bye” letter:
Read the full story here.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Memorial Service For Des Moines Native Tom Pfaeffle Is Aug. 13th
- Murdered Sound Engineer Tom Pfaeffle Was A Des Moines Native
After more than eight years, Leemah Carneh appears headed for trial on four counts of aggravated first-degree murder in one of the most brutal crimes ever in Des Moines.
Carneh, who was 19 at the time, is accused of killing Richard and Jane Larson, 63 and 64, their grandson Taelor Marks, 17, and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Josie Peterson, in the Larsons’ home in March 2001. Peterson was a cheerleader at Evergreen High School when she was killed.
King County Superior Court Judge Palmer Robinson, following a competency hearing that took place over several weeks, ruled that Carneh is mentally fit to stand trial. He was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic not long after his arrest.
Carneh was arraigned on the four counts of aggravated first-degree murder immediately following Robinson’s ruling.
According to police investigators, Carneh allegedly gunned down Marks’ grandparents, hid their bodies, then waited inside the house for Peterson and Marks and brutally beat them in an ambush when they came home. King County prosecutors allege that Carneh was obsessed with Peterson, who didn’t know him.
He was arrested at his home two days after the killings. When police searched Carneh’s house after the killings they found a photo of Peterson, a ring belonging to Marks, luggage with the Larson’s name on it, a stereo from Marks’ car, a handgun – and bloody clothes.
Despite this evidence, criminal proceedings were delayed while Carneh was treated for his mental condition at Western State Hospital. On several occasions, he was returned to the King County Jail only to be sent back to the hospital when it was determined he still was not mentally competent to participate in his defense.
If convicted, Carneh will face life in prison without the possibility of parole. King County prosecutors decided earlier not to seek the death penalty. In late 2005, he received a civil commitment to Western State when another superior court judge ruled he still was not competent to stand trial but under state law no longer could be held on the criminal charges.
One year later, prosecutors were notified by officials at Western State that Carneh’s mental condition has improved to the point that he no longer needed constant supervision. They also said he was eligible to earn permission to leave the hospital grounds. At that point, prosecutors re-filed the murder charges and requested a new competency hearing for Carneh. But it took another two and a half years with a new treatment regime before he was finally found fit to stand trial.
No date for his trial has been set. Shortly before the original murder charges against Carneh were dismissed, Taelor’s mother Lorraine Marks said, “It’s unbelievable to me. He wrote the book on how to commit murder and get away with it…. I’m furious with the system.”
When the charges against Mr. Carneh were dismissed in 2005 and he was sent from the King County Jail back to the mental treatment facility, prosecutors said it was unlikely, even if he never went to trial for the murders, that he ever would be free again.
But late last year, prosecutors learned the defendant had made enough improvement to be unsupervised and perhaps even leave the grounds of the institution. At that point, they re-filed the charges of aggravated first-degree murder against him. Yet now, he again has been found mentally unfit. Western State staff believe additional treatment alternatives can help Mr. Carneh become competent so he finally can stand trial.
And once again, his defense attorney is trying to block that move since previous attempts at treatment have failed.
On Friday (July 24th), the King County Sheriff’s Department released the surveillance photo below of the car driven by suspects in the June 24th shooting that left an 18 year-old man dead in SeaTac:
The vehicle is thought to be a white BMW 5 series or 7 series with a sunroof.
The photo was taken by a nearby security camera just moments after the shooting.
The incident occurred around 11:30pm, and the victim was in the backseat of a car that was southbound on Military Road South. Four friends were with him. A second vehicle (a white BMW) began following them, but turned off at South 140th. As it did, several gunshots were fired and the man was hit.
The men drove straight to Highline Hospital and the victim collapsed in the entrance to the Emergency Room. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
The dead man is from California and was in the area visiting relatives.
If anyone recognizes the vehicle or has information on the shooting they are asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office immediately at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours) or 9-1-1.
by Janet Grella
By now many of our Readers have heard about the death of Tom Pfaeffle, a noted sound engineer who was recently killed in Twisp, when he apparently put his hotel room key into the wrong door then was shot.
But what you may not know is that Tom was born and raised nearby in Des Moines. He continued to live in his family home there until he and his family needed more room for the kids and sound studio and moved to Black Diamond where he opened “The Tank Studios.” This was about five years ago.
We first first learned about the shooting death of this music industry sound man extraordinaire when Matt Pina and his wife stopped by our booth at the Farmers Market last week. Matt alerted us to the news, and was visibly shaken.
At that point we Googled Pfaeffle’s name, and there was no information yet about his death since it had happened just the night before. Now there’s numerous sites reporting his death and paying homage to him, remembering him as the great sound guy that he was. Pfaeffle, a 30-year veterean, worked as a sound engineer with these bands:
- Nirvana
- The Black Crowes
- Great White
- Heart
- Queensryche
- Scorpions
- UB40
- Aerosmith
- Alice Cooper
- Rodney Crowell
- B.B. King
- and “countless others”
But what mainstream media and the internet aren’t saying is that Tom Pfaeffle was born and raised in Des Moines.
His childhood friend Aaron DeAnda remembers him this way:
Tom and I first met in our neighborhood Delrose Manor in Des Moines near Highline Community College. He was a few years younger than me. We had such good times as kids. His dad is gone now, and his mother, Charlotte, lives in Arizona. Tom was an only child, so he considered all the neighborhood guys his brothers. We played a lot of football in the streets. Tom was in our band, “Session,” in high school. Tom played guitar and was the sound man. He wanted to do sound as long as I can remember. He was very focused. Of all of us he was the only one to make a living in music. He had a good ear for sound…a critical ear.
He was passionate about music and he reached out to everyone. He considered everyone ‘family’. We’d still get together for sushi or at 909 in Burien listening to live music.
Aaron is now a Burien resident and is in a band with fellow MRHS graduate Matt Pina. Their band, “Uncle Ernie’s,” recently performed at Mick Kelly’s and hope to be back there soon. Aaron plays drums while Matt plays bass.
Matt not only played in the band “Rolling Boulders” with him, he provided these exclusive photos of he and Tom in younger years (Tom’s in the striped shirt):
Matt and Tom were in the class of ‘79 at Mt. Rainier High School. We asked Matt to remember his friend and fellow Des Moines native.
I was very proud of Tom, he had a great ear and knew how to make the music sound great.
Like everyone, we fumbled as we learned our craft, but Tom persevered. He became successful and turned his dream into reality. In fact he’s the only person I know who ever turned their musical dreams into reality (more than a hobby).
One of my most vivid memories of Tom is about 12 years ago. He was engineering a recording for a few of us from Instant Karma that were getting re-aquainted. On a break when everyone had headed outside, Tom picked up an acoustic guitar and began strumming a favorite song of mine, Neil Young’s “The Needle and The Damage Done”. I was captivated and really enjoyed that moment. I can’t say why it was special, but it was. It was just a moment of purity. A short performance by the man who ran the board. He wasn’t really known for his guitar playing, but that moment was genuine and awesome.
Friends from Tom’s life, the music industry and others will celebrate his life at St. Philomena’s Church, located at 1790 South 222nd Street in Des Moines (206-878-8709) on Wed., July 29th at 11am.
Monday morning, the King County Sheriff’s Office announced that the driver of the Cadillac who was shot last Tuesday at South 188th and International Blvd. in SeaTac, died overnight at Harborview Hospital.
On Saturday night, the fourth and final suspect, 21, turned himself in. Previously the other three had been arrested.
Charges for all four are expected this week.
In the meantime, bail was set at $2 million each for First-Degree Murder.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Fourth, Final SeaTac Shooting Suspect Turns Self In
- Three Out Of Four SeaTac Shooters Arrested, One In Burien
- VIDEO: Security Cam Footage From SeaTac Shooting
According to Memphis-based news website Commercial Appeal, police arrested Gary Lipsey, the suspect in the shooting death of Kevin Camacho, 24, at the Spruce Motel last Monday (March 16th).
Lipsey, 28, was arrested at around 11:15pm Friday night by officers who found him hiding in a closet in a home in North Memphis.
Lipsey is now being held and is awaiting extradition on murder charges in Camacho’s homicide.
According to The Seattle TImes, a stay of execution was granted today to Cal Coburn Brown, the convicted 1991 killer of Burien’s Holly Washa.
Washington State Supreme Court judges voted 5-4 to grant Brown’s 11th-hour appeal, after another lower-court judge had denied it on Wednesday.
Brown’s execution by lethal injection was scheduled to occur just after midnight Friday morning at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.
Brown carjacked Washa, 22, then held her against her will for two days in a SeaTac motel, raping and torturing her before slashing her throat.
According to court documents, Brown suffered from bi-polar disorder, but has been medicated since 1994.
Read the full story here.
On Wednesday, a judge turned down an attempted stay of execution for Cal Coburn Brown, a man convicted of the 1991 rape, torture and murder of Holly Washa, 22, of Burien.
Brown carjacked Washa, then held her against her will for two days in a SeaTac motel, raping and torturing her before slashing her throat.
According to court documents, Brown suffered from bi-polar disorder, but has been medicated since 1994.
Barring any other last-minute decisions, Brown will be executed via lethal injection just after midnight Friday at Walla Walla State Penitentiary.
He will be the first King County prisoner put to death since 1993, with the state of Washington reinstated the death penalty.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
| Feb ’09 |
| 21 |
| 2:00 pm |
The photo above is of deceased area resident Charles “UpChuck” Moore, who was tragically murdered by his stepson in 2005. The second-annual Benefit for Families and Friends of Violent Crimes Victims will be held this Saturday, Feb. 21st at The Barrel Tavern, located at 11051 First Ave South (map below).
Also known as “UpChuck,” he was a regular patron of The Barrel and a resident of the Top Hat neighborhood, and his picture hangs on the wall of the tavern. He is missed by all who knew and loved him.
Here’s the original (and gruesome) news story as printed in The Seattle P-I on 1/28/05:
BOULEVARD PARK — King County sheriff’s detectives believe a man who survived a stabbing acted in self-defense when he killed his half-brother.
Jason Moore, 24, was found bleeding from stab wounds outside his Boulevard Park home late Jan. 20. Inside were his father, Charles Moore, 48, and his half-brother, William Moore, 29, both dead from stab wounds.
Sheriff’s Sgt. John Urquhart said it appears that William Moore attacked his sleeping stepfather by hitting him in the head with a heavy object and stabbing him repeatedly in the neck. When Jason Moore went to investigate, his older brother stabbed him, Urquhart said. The fight moved through the house, and the younger brother managed to grab a kitchen knife and fatally stab his older brother.
The memorial event starts at 2pm at the Auburn Eagles Hall, with a ride through the Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, ending up at The Barrel for a buffet dinner, door prizes, 50/50 drawing, live music and raffles.
Here are the details:
WHAT: The Apple Dumpling Gang Motorcycle Club ADG and The Barrel Tavern present the 2nd Annual Charles Moore Benefit for Families and Friends of Violent Crimes Victims
WHEN: Saturday, February 21st, starting at 2pm at the Auburn Eagles Hall
WHERE:
- 2 p.m. Meet & leave from Auburn Eagles, located at 702 M Ste SE, Auburn, WA (253-833-2298)
- Ride through Tahoma National Cemetery, located at 18600 SE 240th St, Kent, Wa 98042
- Ending at: The Barrel, located at 11051 1st Ave S. Seattle, (206-244-7390)
INFO: Buffet dinner, door prizes, 50/50 drawing, live music and raffles.
Grand Prize will be a 3-day, 2-night stay, including airfare to Reno with accomodations at the Silver Legacy Hotel & Casino.
Here’s the poster:
The Seattle Times reports that an unusual diamond that once belonged to Burien resident Robert Wykel lead to the arrest of Myron Clark Wynn in Wykel’s 1996 murder.
Wynn is now being held on $1 million bail pending extradition proceedings to return him to King County from Texas.
According to the Times:
Wykel disappeared in February 1996 after telling friends he was going to check out a vintage Thunderbird, according to court documents. Wykel supplemented his retirement income by restoring classic cars, charging papers said, and he withdrew $5,200 cash from the bank.
Wykel was never seen again.
His friends and daughter long suspected Wynn, a man who befriended Wykel over breakfast at a McDonald’s restaurant in Burien. Wykel was last seen with him at Mother Nature’s Acres, a resort in Thurston County owned by Wynn’s sister, court documents said.
Wykel’s car was found abandoned in a Burien park-and-ride lot.
Full story here.
According to numerous news sources, the Washington man scheduled to be executed March 13th has a bad Burien connection.
Cal Coburn Brown was convicted in 1993 of the 1991 murder of Holly Washa, a 22-year old Burien woman.
He carjacked her near SeaTac Airport, held her captive for 34 hours at a motel, raped, robbed, tortured and slashed her to death, then left her body in the trunk of her car.
Brown will be put down on March 13th at the state Penitentiary at Walla Walla.
According to KIRO TV and KOMO News, King County Sheriff’s Detectives are still looking for the killer of a Lynnwood woman whose body was found in Burien three years ago.
The naked body of Nicole Pietz, 33, was found strangled to death on Feb. 6, 2006 in bushes near Des Moines Memorial Drive South and South 144th Street.
Her husband last saw her at home on Jan. 27th of that year, and her car was later found in Seattle’s University district.
Authorities are offering a $36,000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest or conviction of the killer.
If you have any information about this case, you are asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
Barry L. Saunders was arrested Wed. afternoon in Portland.
The Seattle P-I reports that Barry L. Saunders, the suspect in last Saturday’s deadly shooting at Southcenter Mall, was captured and arrested Wed. afternoon (Nov. 26th), apparently in Portland, Oregon.
Police say that Saunders is the gunman who shot 16-year-old Daiquan L. Jones to death on the first floor of the remodeled shopping center.
Jermaine D. McGowan, 16, was also shot. At last report, he was still in satisfactory condition at Harborview Medical Center.
Full story is here.
As you’ve probably heard by now, a shooting inside Tukwila’s Westfield Southcenter Mall on Saturday Nov. 22nd left one young man dead and another seriously injured, the gunman still at large, and the mall locked down for a while before being evacuated.
Police are still searching for the suspect.
We’ve managed to gather several videos related to the shooting:
KOMO News:
KIRO-TV:
KING-TV:
CELL PHONE VIDEO NEAR VICTIM:
TWO YOUNG WOMEN STUCK IN PARKING GARAGE TRAFFIC:
KID’S YOUTUBE COMMENTARY VIDEO:
A shooting inside Tukwila’s Westfield Southcenter Mall Saturday afternoon left one man dead and another seriously injured, the gunman still at large, and the mall locked down for a while before being evacuated.
We know you don’t read the B-Town Blog for this kind of news, but we had to post it anyways since Burien is less than five miles away.
Here are two videos related to the incident – the first taken on a cell phone by someone who walked up to and near the victim, and the second from two young women stuck in traffic trying to get to the mall:
For full coverage of this terrible incident, we recommend reading:
A Burien man was sentenced to more than 97 years in prison for shooting and killing his boss and two others more than five years ago.
Tony Smith, 29, was convicted of three counts of first degree murder for the shooting deaths of Francisco Santos-Rojas, 24, his 16-year-old nephew, Edgar Santos and Ruben Fuentes, 24.
The three were slain Jan. 3, 2003, in an SUV parked on the West Valley Highway in Kent.
SOURCE:
According to several news sources, a man was found shot to death in his car near SeaTac Airport early Monday morning.
The man, in his 30s, was found slumped over the wheel in a car near the intersection of International Blvd (aka Highway 99) and State Route 518 just after midnight.
The shooter remains at large.
Apaprently, SR-518 was closed down for a while as police dogs and a helicopter searched the area, causing backups for drivers headed to or from the area.
The name of the man who was killed has not been released.
Video of the story available here.
SOURCES:
A 16-year old Burien girl accused of killing a man in Kent has made a deal with King County prosecutors.
The girl (whose identity remains unreleased due to her age), plead guilty to manslaughter Thursday, and will serve less than three years in state juvenile detention after being sentenced Oct. 21st in King County Juvenile Court.
Prosecutors say information emerged that the girl may have been attacked or threatened.
The 49-year-old man, Francisco Pena, was stabbed in the chest in April at his home near Kent, after hiring the girl as a prostitute.
John Ogden, 20, was found guilty by a jury today in the murder-for-hire shooting of his stepfather, Ron Whitehead, 61, of Des Moines.
Ogden was just 16 at the time of the murder, which took place on March 18, 2005 at the intersection of SW 188th and 8th Ave SW near SeaTac Airport (map below).
Prosecutors claim that Odgen and his mother, Velma Ogden-Whitehead, hired one of his friends to kill his stepfather for inheritance and insurance.
One interesting aspect of this trial was that the car in which Whitehead was driving when he was shot and killed was actually re-constructed last Thursday inside the courtroom (story here).
Velma Ogden-Whitehead was sentenced June to 22 years in prison.
Ogden’s accomplice, Wilson Sayachack, accused of hiding in Whitehead’s trunk and pulling the trigger, is still awaiting trial.
Ogden faces more than 30 years in prison when he is sentenced.
SOURCE:
VANCOUVER, B.C. – The bad guy who fled after shooting a man dead in his SUV in Boulevard Park has been arrested in Vancouver, B.C, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office.
A $2 milion dollar warrant, along with a rather odd psychedelic mugshot (see pic) was issued Wednesday for Cesar Trochez-Jimenez, 27, charging him with first-degree murder.
Vancouver police stopped him Wednesday night in a park and questioned him, prompting him to give the officers a fake name. Through further investigation, they discovered he was wanted in Seattle on a murder warrant, Urquhart said.
“One of their people put two and two together and knew we were looking for this guy,” sheriff’s Sgt. John Urquhart said. “That was some good police work up there.”
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the victim, 25, was found Monday behind the wheel of a 2000 Ford Explorer in an apartment complex parking lot at 1100 99th St. S. He’d been shot multiple times.
Police tracked the suspect to Blaine. They knew he’d spent the night in a motel room but he fled before they could find him. Urquhart was uncertain how soon he would extradited to King County.
The shooting apparently was over a woman, Urquhart said.
“It’s a story as old as time,” he said.
SOURCE:
A $2 million warrant was issued Wednesday by King County Sheriff’s for Cesar Trochez-Jimenez (pictured at left in a weird quasi-psychedelic graphic – who makes these things?), a 27-year-old suspect in the fatal shooting of a man in Boulevard Park.
The victim, 25, was found Monday behind the wheel of an SUV in the parking lot of Willow Terrace Apartments, located at 1100 South 99th Street in Boulevard Park, around 10:35pm after a resident reported hearing gunshots. He’d been shot multiple times.
Investigators tracked the suspect to Bellingham and Blaine, near the Canadian border. But he has so far eluded authorities, who think he has returned to Seattle.
The 170-pound, 5-foot-7 suspect has black hair and brown eyes. He is considered armed and dangerous, sheriff’s Sgt. John Urquhart said.
Anyone with information is asked to call sheriff’s detectives immediately at 911 or (206) 296-3311.
SOURCE:
BOULEVARD PARK – A man was found shot dead in Boulevard Park late Monday, slumped behind the wheel of an SUV, according to King County Sheriffs.
Deputies were called to the Willow Terrace Apartments, located at 1100 South 99th Street around 10:35pm after a resident reported hearing gunshots.
The deputies arrived to find a Ford Explorer with a dead man at the wheel in the parking lot, Sheriff’s Sgt. John Urquhart said.
The man, believed to be in his 20s, was not a tenant of the apartment complex. He had been shot at least once, though multiple shots were fired.
There have been no arrests, Urquhart said.
SOURCE:
TUKWILA – Two shootings in Tukwila within about a mile of each other over the weekend left one man dead.
An 18-year-old man was fatally shot Sunday morning on North I-5 near the Boeing Access Road, Tukwila police reported. The shooting occurred around 2:30am when the man was driving northbound with friends, who were not injured.
Tukwila police said it appears the driver was specifically targeted and was not the victim of a random shooting.
His friends rushed him to Harborview Medical Center, where he died, police spokesman Mike Murphy said. As of early Sunday morning, detectives did not have a description of the suspect or that person’s vehicle.
Earlier, on Saturday evening, Tukwila police learned of shots fired less than one mile away from the fatality in the 10700 block of Beacon Avenue South. While the shooter did not hit any of the intended victims, who are teenage men from Seattle, bullets did hit their car.
Police later found the suspect’s car and the Seattle police gang unit also investigated.
Tukwila police did not say whether the two shootings were related.
SOURCE:
Remember back in 2005 when Ronald Whitehead, 61, was fatally shot near Des Moines Memorial Way while driving to work?
The killing looked like a carjacking, and Whitehead’s wife then appealed for the murderer to turn themselves in?
Turned out that the victim’s wife, Velma Ogden-Whitehead, 50, was actually the mastermind behind her husband’s slaying, hiring a friend of her son’s to hide in her husband’s trunk.
This morning, Ogden-Whitehead sobbed in court as she begged for forgiveness, but her cries were summarily rejected by a judge who called her “self defense” argument a lie.
Ogden-Whitehead attempted to justify the killing as her reaction to sexual and physical abuse from her husband of ten years. Not surprisingly, Judge Steven Gonzalez didn’t fall for this defense, telling her:
“You are the perpetrator, not the victim you claim to be. Your claims of abuse and suffering are hollow.”
The judge later sentenced her to 22 years in prison.
Full story from The Seattle Times is here.
The mother of a Lynnwood woman whose body was found near Burien two years ago announced that she is increasing the cash reward to $36,000 for information that leads to an arrest in her daughter’s case.
Nicole Pietz, 32, was found strangled Feb. 6, 2006, in a wooded area near South 114th and Des Moines Memorial Drive (see map below).
Her 2003 Volkswagen Jetta was found abandoned two weeks later in the University District in Seattle.
The King County Sheriff’s Office is investigating and hasn’t publicly identified any suspects.
Gail Schneider, mother of Pietz, said at a new conference that she hopes increasing the reward from $26,000 will reach the conscience of someone who might have information about the slaying or who might have been an accomplice.
SOURCE:
WHITE CENTER – First-degree murder charges were filed Wednesday against a man accused of shooting another man to death here.
The charge was filed Wednesday in King County Superior Court against 22-year-old Durell L. Campbell.
He was arrested last Thursday and remains in jail with bail set at $2 million pending a hearing May 22 in Superior Court.
Campbell is charged with fatally shooting 22-year-old Robert Crawford on Dec. 17 after a gang-related conversation outside the Magic Lanes Bowling Alley-Casino.
According to an affidavit filed in court, Crawford made a “sarcastic, disparaging remark” to Campbell. Moments later, investigators wrote, Campbell apparently returned and fired about seven shots from a .45-caliber pistol.
Campbell was identified partly through surveillance videotapes. If convicted, he faces a standard sentencing range of 25 to 31 years in prison.
SOURCE:
TUKWILA – Earlier this month we reported about the April 13 shooting death at a Dr. Dre book signing after-party in Tukwila, and today charges of second-degree murder and assault were filed by King County prosecutors.
Lovelychild “Fredde Mac” James Manuel (yes, that’s his real name) is in jail on $1 million bail.
Manuel is scheduled to be arraigned on May 8 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
Devon Guidry was shot and killed and Paul Dervin was wounded by gunfire outside Gordon’s on the Green restaurant at Foster Golf Links, where a party had been held for the authors of the Dr. Dre biography
Witnesses told police that Manuel shot Guidry in the back of the head after an argument. He then fled in an SUV driven from the scene by another man.
Following the shooting, police received several anonymous tips that Manuel had been involved in the shooting and was planning to leave the state.
Officers arrested Manuel following a traffic stop in SeaTac. According to police, Manuel admitted to being at the restaurant during a party for two authors of a book about rapper Dr. Dre but denied any involvement in the shootings.
On Monday, King County prosecutors charged Manuel with second-degree murder and second-degree assault, both with firearm enhancements. He is being held in the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent on $1 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned May 8.
If convicted as charged, Manuel, who has two previous felony convictions, faces 23 to 32 years in prison.
SOURCE:
WHITE CENTER – A White Center man was charged Friday with first-degree manslaughter for the death of his girlfriend, who had muscular dystrophy and relied on him as a live-in caregiver.
Peter E. Gullberg, 41, faces at least 6 1/2 to 8 1/2 years’ imprisonment if convicted. Prosecutors likely would seek an exceptional prison term because the wheelchair-bound victim was especially vulnerable, said Dan Donohoe, King County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman.
Gullberg called 911 Tuesday and reported that his girlfriend, Stephanie Campeau, wasn’t breathing at their 14th Avenue Southwest home. He told sheriff’s deputies that he had struck her on both sides of the head with his hands during an argument, court documents say.
He was arrested and taken to jail, with bail set at $1 million. Gullberg is scheduled for arraignment May 8.
The couple had known each other for 12 years and lived together for the past six. They’ve dated off and on and Gullberg was her paid caregiver, court documents say.
In an interview with detectives, Gullberg said the victim was egging him on by ramming her wheelchair into furniture and running over his toe. She kept shouting: “What are you going to do, hit me? Hit me, just hit me,” court documents say.
“I finally snapped this morning. I did it, I did it,” the defendant allegedly told investigators.
He told detectives he’d lost patience with her during the past few months. After he struck her, he noticed a blood blister forming on her eye but she asked him not to call 911 and went to sleep. When Gullberg realized she wasn’t breathing and turning purple, he called police, court documents say.
Campeau, 34, was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where she died Wednesday from brain injuries, court documents say.
Before Gullberg called 911, he telephoned his mother and a domestic violence crisis line, court documents say.
Gullberg has no prior convictions but had been arrested before on suspicion of assaulting Campeau, court documents say.
SOURCE:
WHITE CENTER – The 16-year old boy who fatally shot a White Center man during a burglary attempt last fall plead guilty this morning to second-degree murder.
Jonathan Newman was originally charged with first-degree murder in juvenile court shortly after the slaying of Craig Hoffman, 46. But the case was remanded to adult court Monday after King County prosecutors agreed to charge the boy with second-degree murder in exchange for the guilty plea.
Sentencing was scheduled for June 13. Prosecutors plan to seek a sentence of up to 23 years in prison.
Andrea Mathison, Hoffman’s sister, was in court this morning when Newman pleaded guilty. She said she was pleased the teen’s plea meant the case would not go to trial.
“He admitted what he did was wrong,” said Hoffman, of Lakewood, Pierce County. “That part is very comforting.”
According to charging papers, Newman, who was 15 at time, and two other teens saw Hoffman drive away from his home the morning of Oct. 19. Newman entered the house through an open garage and then let the other two boys in through the front door. When Hoffman returned a short time later the boys raced out of the house with stolen items in hand, court documents said.
Deputy Prosecutor Amy Montgomery said Newman shot Hoffman as the homeowner was chasing the teens off his property.
The two other teens have pleaded guilty in juvenile court and had agreed to testify against Newman.
SOURCE:
BURIEN – A 15-year old Burien girl has been arrested by King County Sheriff’s investigators in connection with the stabbing death of a 49-year-old Kent man last Friday (April 4).
Deputies were called to the man’s home on Tuesday to check on him, said sheriff’s spokesman John Urquhart. Deputies found the man dead in his garage, with apparent stab wounds.
Investigators tested fingerprints on a knife found near the man’s body and the print came back to the girl, Urquhart said.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating the slaying, but is still trying to identify the man.
The girl, who is being held at the King County Youth Service Center, has had “numerous contacts” with police in the past, including an arrest for prostitution, Urquhart said.
She was arrested on Thursday.
SOURCE:
SEATTLE – A man who shot and killed a Farwest cab driver in SeaTac before setting fire to the taxi has been convicted of aggravated murder and arson.
The King County prosecutor’s office says 19-year-old Earnest Lenell Collins of Seattle will automatically receive a life term with parole when he is sentenced May 9 in King County Superior Court. The jury returned with the verdict Friday.
Prosecutors say robbery was the apparent motive for the July 17 killing of the Farwest Taxi driver, Jagit Singh. He was shot twice in the head and his cab was set afire.
Collins fled and was arrested in Chicago.
SOURCE:
Loading ...
