White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Thursday morning, murder victim Margaret Ryan‘s 42-year-old son Brodie Lamb appeared in King County Superior Court, pleading not guilty to the charge of first-degree murder. He remains jailed in lieu of $2 million bail, and the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says a case-setting hearing is set for December 13th. Before then, friends, family, and community members will gather this Saturday at 4:30 pm for a tribute to Ms. Ryan, right before the 5 pm lighting of the White Center Christmas Tree at Veterans’ Triangle Park. Investigators say Lamb confessed to stabbing his 69-year-old mother to death two weeks ago after breaking through the door of her home when she tried to keep him out.

Just in from King County Sheriff’s Office, that sketch created from the description of the man who raped a woman in her Top Hat home during a home-invasion attack Monday night that also injured her partner. He is described as black, around 20 years old, medium complexion, 5’5 to 5’6, 170 to 180 pounds, wearing a dark gray hoodie at the time. There is no sketch of the other man sought in the incident – he was wearing a mask – but King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West did include a description – black, medium-to-darker complexion, also around 20, six feet tall, “real slim,” wearing a black hoodie at the time and gray shoes, possibly Air Jordans. If you know anything about either one, please call 911.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has announced that it’s charged 42-year-old Brodie Lamb with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of his mother, White Center writer/community advocate Margaret Ryan. He is in jail, bail now set at $2 million, with arraignment scheduled on November 29th at the King County Courthouse downtown.

Court documents say that after he called 911 to say he had killed his mother, the operator told him to put the knife in the freezer – and that’s where deputies found it. He is reported to have told detectives that he became frustrated when his mother would not let him in her apartment – from which he had been “trespassed,” in other words, officially ordered not to return, months earlier. So he kicked in the door, got a large kitchen knife, and killed her. Deputies say the door frame was broken completely away. Autopsy results show that Ms. Ryan, 69 years old, was stabbed 18 times, and had wounds on her hands and arms from trying to protect herself against the attack. Court documents say Lamb was found guilty of assaulting his mother in 2008, punching her in the face while she was driving him home. He also, as we reported earlier, has a record of other attacks, with victims including a jail guard and an elderly landlady.

As reported here earlier today, a gathering is planned Monday night for community members to start planning a tribute to Ms. Ryan – details are here.

Monday night, you’re invited to a meeting to help plan a tribute and memorial for Margaret Ryan, the local writer and community advocate murdered at her apartment earlier this week.

On Monday, November 19th at 6:30 pm we are meeting at Mago Signs on 16th SW to begin planning a dedication and memorial planting in honor of Margaret Ryan, who was murdered this week.

This week we lost a very passionate active member of our community. Please join us. Share with us any ideas, suggestions or contributions to honor one of our active members of this community. Potluck dinner. Please bring an item to share. …

This kind of violence happens randomly, in no particular demographic, and to no particular single type of person. This is the result of a disease/illness of the mind and spirit, not a reflection of the community.

Please help us to build strong community by coming together again to honor one of our local fallen heroes who was a victim of violence and say no-we will not let this go by unnoticed and we will unite, standing up against judgement and criticism.

The meeting is at 10032 16th SW. You can RSVP via the Facebook event page, here. Meantime, Ms. Ryan’s 42-year-old son remains jailed in connection with the killing; prosecutors are expected to decide today whether to charge him.

3:23 PM: The 42-year-old suspect in last night’s White Center stabbing death did not appear in court for his bail hearing this afternoon – he waived the right to be present. King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe says the judge found probable cause to hold him for investigation of second-degree murder; the victim was the suspect’s 69-year-old mother. His bail is set at $1 million, and KCPAO will have to decide by Friday whether to charge him. As we reported here earlier today, the suspect – who we will not identify until and unless he is charged – has a criminal record including assaults on a jail guard and on a 75-year-old then-landlord.

Last night, it was reported the suspect was visiting his mother when this happened, but documents from the investigation say they actually live together. For reasons not listed, police say, she would not let him into the apartment; he kicked open the door, got a “large knife” from the kitchen, and stabbed her multiple times in the neck.

6:11 PM UPDATE: The victim was identified online earlier today in a story published by a website identifying itself as her employer; that story has since been taken down, and there is no independent corroboration from authorities, so we are removing the reference here, until and unless it reappears.

THURSDAY, 7:42 AM: The report identifying the victim as Margaret Ryan has been republished.

THURSDAY 11:27 AM: Jasmine Brown, Unity Village’s site manager, has posted a clarification in comments:

Margaret Ryan lived alone. Brodie Lamb was NOT a resident at this building. He was trespassed off the property by KC sheriff deputy Duran on 8/29 for public intoxication and unruly conduct. That case number is 12-203108. Lamb was not legally allowed back on the property to visit his mother for a year. All the residents at Unity Village have passed a complete background check. Given Lamb’s criminal history, he would not have met our screening criteria. Now that Ryan’s family has been notified, if you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me at: unityvillage@live.com

(STORY UPDATED WEDNESDAY with information on suspect’s record)

ORIGINAL REPORT, 5:58 PM: A helicopter’s been seen over the area, and we believe it’s linked to a stabbing reported at 13th/100th in White Center. According to King County Sheriff’s Office via Twitter, the suspect is the victim’s son.

6:14 PM: Lots of officers – and media – there, our crew reports, including KCSO media liaison Sgt. Cindi West, so we will have updates from her shortly. She had reported originally that the victim was undergoing CPR. This is at the Unity Village complex that opened a year ago.

6:18 PM: Sgt. West (above) says the victim is dead. She is 69 years old and lived at the complex. Her 42-year-old son is the suspect; he reportedly was visiting, and Sgt. West says he is the one who called 911 to report he had stabbed his mother.

11:59 PM: The suspect has been booked into the King County Jail. A quick check of court records shows that his background includes assault and domestic-violence cases. Court paperwork is not available at this hour, though, so we don’t know if any prior cases involved his mother.

ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: So far, the cases we have reviewed included guilty pleas to assaults on a jail guard and a 75-year-old landlady – these in the past few years. In the court documents for the latter case, a girlfriend was quoted as describing the suspect as “paranoid schizophrenic,” and there are other documents mentioning mental-health commitment situations.

Just received from King County Sheriff’s Office media liaison Sgt. Cindi West, an update on last night’s attack in Top Hat, including descriptions of the men deputies are looking for:

A man was pistol whipped and his girlfriend sexually assaulted during a home invasion robbery that occurred overnight in the Top Hat area of King County.

Last night around 8:40 deputies responded to a report of a home invasion robbery in the 10800 block of 6 Ave S. When deputies arrived they contacted a 23 year old man who said when he got home he saw two men near his apartment. He said the men pulled handguns and forced him into his apartment.

Once inside the apartment the suspects ordered the victim and his 23 year old girlfriend, who was home with her young son, to get on the ground. One of the suspects pistol whipped the male on the back of the head. One of the suspects sexually assaulted the female at gunpoint while the other suspect ransacked the house.

The victim’s 18 month old son was asleep on the couch and did not wake up during the incident.

The suspects are described as;

#1. Black male, approximately 5’9, 195 lbs with a “buzz” haircut. He was last seen wearing a mask over the bottom half of his face and gray shoes. (no age yet)

#2. Black male, approximately 5’5”, 180, last seen wearing a gray zip up shirt, with a black shirt underneath, blue jeans, and a black belt. (no age yet)

Detectives said there appears to be no relationship between the victims and suspects. Investigators are trying to determine why this house was targeted and what items were taken from the residence.

Two men are being sought for a robbery, rape, and assault reported at a home in Top Hat, according to our partners at The Seattle Times. The two are reported to have attacked a man outside the home, then forced their way in, raped a woman, and ransacked the house before getting away. No word on the victims’ conditions; we’ll be following up with the King County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating. This is reported to have happened in the 10800 block of 6th S., which is part of unincorporated North Highline (though it was widely and erroneously reported by regional media last night as being in Burien).

Shared with us by Kristine via Facebook:

If you see a 5′ 9″ 150 lb white man with sandy blond hair and bad teeth on a red scooter covered in a lot of duct tape in the West Seattle/Burien area, please call 911. Last night, my neighbor helped this person fix their scooter in his garage when it broke down on the road on our street (18th and 112th). When our neighbor, who is always a good samaritan, went to the gas station to get some gas for the man, the man stole 2 computers from him. Later that night, someone tried to jimmy the locks to the garage, the dogs barking apparently scared him away. We assume it was the same guy. Police report # is 12-251593. My neighbor, David, is literally one of the most kind and generous people on the planet; it breaks my heart that someone would take advantage of him like that. Please spread the word, I’d love to help track down this slimeball.

Crossposted from partner site West Seattle Blog– a bulletin tonight from King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Cindi West:

30 Year old Emanuel Kozma was arrested tonight around 6:30PM in the Denny’s parking lot at S170sth and Pacific Hwy in SeaTac. He was the subject that King County Sheriff detectives chased on the 10th in the White Center area.

Detectives said he will be booked for investigation of Eluding, Assault 1, and Unlawful Possession of Firearm. The case will be forwarded to the prosecutor’s office for review. He was caught due to persistent work from detectives!

A shooting incident in White Center last week has come to light via charges filed by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office – first reported this morning by seattlepi.com, and now we have the online court documents. They say that it happened around 1:15 am on Sunday, October 7th, in the 9600 block of 11th SW. The victim and her 9-month-old baby were asleep when bullets shattered the bedroom window – 7 of them, it was later learned, all lodging or falling within a foot of where she and her baby slept. The victim grabbed her baby and ran out of the room to call 911; relatives were asleep elsewhere in the house. No one was hit.

A King County Sheriff’s Deputy heard the gunfire from four blocks away, the court documents say, and as he drove in the direction from which he had heard it, he stopped a man and a woman, both on foot. The radio traffic at the time mentioned a getaway vehicle, so after some discussion, the two were not detained, but later information – plus the work of investigators including a K-9 team – led investigators to relocate and arrest both suspects. The court documents say the victim knew both of them and that the female suspect, 27-year-old Ebonee M. Heller, had been in a dispute with her over allegations that a friend of Heller’s had sexually assaulted a relative of the victim. The charging document say the male suspect, 28-year-old Tony D. Avery, fired the gun under orders by Heller, who he claims was going to pay him to “hurt that bitch.” Deputies found not only a 9-mm handgun but also used surgical gloves, inside out, still sweaty.

Both Avery and Heller are charged with assault, and remain in jail; his bail is set at $1 million, hers at $200,000.

(Emanuel Kozma, suspect being sought after King County Sheriff’s Office pursuit ended in West Seattle)
Be on the lookout for Emanuel Kozma – King County Sheriff’s Office deputies are still looking for him, hours after they tried to pull him over in White Center, and he instead led them on a chase into West Seattle. It ended shortly before the car he was driving turned on its side in a West Seattle yard:

Here’s how KCSO Sgt. Cindi West explained what was going on:

Around 7:30 tonight our gang detectives attempted to stop a vehicle driven by a known convicted felon who they believe was armed with a firearm. When the detectives attempted to stop the vehicle near SW 108th / 15th SW the vehicle fled north toward Seattle. As detectives chased the vehicle the occupants threw a handgun out the window of the car. (that weapon has been recovered)

In the area of 17th and Henderson detectives lost the car. They learned from SPD that there was a rollover accident at 17th and Trenton. Detectives went to that location and saw that it was the vehicle they had been trying to stop. A 22-year-old female was in the car and taken to Highline Hospital with minor injuries. The male,, Emanuel Kozma, fled on foot in the area. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt with cutoff sleeves and dark pants.

The photo of him is very recent and he still has the goatee. He is said to be about 24 years old and about 5’7”. He may still be armed so residents should call 911 if they see him.

We looked up Kozma’s record and found out he had just spent 22 hours in jail, getting out at 4:30 pm today. He was in for a drug-related case.

Though the store in this story is in Burien, it’s close enough to White Center that some may shop there, so we’re sharing this report just received from the King County Sheriff’s Office:

A 32 year old man was arrested today after assaulting an 11 year old boy in a grocery store bathroom.

The incident occurred just after noon in the Albertson’s store at 128th and 1 Ave S in Burien. The boy went into the bathroom while his family shopped. The suspect entered the bathroom and grabbed the boy by the neck and told him he would “kill him.”

The boy fought the suspect off and as they struggled, the bathroom stall door was slamming open and shut. An employee in the break room next to the bathroom heard the commotion and went to investigate.

When the employee opened the bathroom door she saw the suspect naked from the waist down holding the boy in a bear hug. The employee grabbed the boy and pulled him out of the bathroom while trying to block the suspect from leaving.

The suspect fled and ran towards the front of the store as the employee and boy yelled for help. A group of store employees caught the suspect before he could leave the store. The employees tackled him and held him down until police arrived.

Police credit the boy for fighting back and the employees for coming to his aid.

“The employees acted very quickly and did the right thing,” said King County Sheriff Steve Strachan. “They stopped what could have been every parent’s nightmare.”

The suspect, who said he was homeless, was booked in the King County Jail. The case will be sent to the King County Prosecutors Office for the filing of charges.

Though he couldn’t be at last night’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting (our meeting report’ll be up by Saturday morning) for the customary crime report, White Center’s King County Sheriff’s Office Storefront Deputy BJ Myers has since shared this news of arrests related to a recent crime spree:

Roughly between July 21st and August 14th we had 6 robberies in the downtown White Center area that involved suspect(s) snatching jewelry (necklaces), and in one case a purse, from female victims walking down the street. These were robberies, not thefts, because some measure of force was used to steal or retain the items. SPD was also experiencing a large number (about 9) of similar MO crimes. On August 15th KCSO Major Crimes Detectives were able to identify potential suspects and eventually, with SPD assistance, positively identified a group of 4 male individuals who had been committing a large share of the robberies in both jurisdictions.

So far, we’ve arrested three of the four, who are still in custody, and will be charged with multiple counts of Robbery 2nd and Trafficking Stolen Property 1st. A fourth suspect has an outstanding warrant and is being sought. Most of the suspects live in the greater North Highline area. They were operating in two groups, although members of each group were either friends or blood related. One suspect in the first robberies in July was later arrested and charged with Manslaughter for a fatal shooting in Skyway on August 1st, which the Major Crimes Unit also investigated.

The Major Crimes Unit is continuing to investigate and monitor activity in the area to determine if there are any remaining suspects still outstanding. I know I have noticed the higher than normal number of robberies in the area this summer and I am very pleased that the KCSO Major Crimes Unit and SPD detectives have done such good work.

(Added: Photos by WCN co-publisher Patrick Sand)
10:49 AM: King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West reports a body’s been found in the Mallard Lake area of White Center, near the Coronado Springs Apartments. That’s why you’re seeing a helicopter. We’ll be there shortly.

11:01 AM UPDATE: Co-publisher Patrick Sand has talked with Sgt. West at the scene, where investigators are working right now to find out what happened. The body is female, she says. They got the call about an hour ago.

11:30 AM UPDATE: Sgt. West says the body was found floating in the water. They don’t know for sure yet whether this is a crime, or an accident, and they have no idea about identity/age, either. But Major Crimes investigators are there to do their best to find out. Above, we’ve added video of Sgt. West’s brief interview with WCN.

Thanks to North Highline/White Center neighborhood advocate Gill Loring for sharing photos from one of Tuesday night’s Night Out block parties – 20th SW between 102nd and 104th. The host was another neighborhood advocate, Ron Johnson (who also serves as a member of the all-volunteer North Highline Unincorporated Area Council). Here’s Ron chatting with one of the King County Sheriff’s Office team members who visited, Community Service Officer Peter Truong:

Also spotted at this party, White Center Storefront Deputy B.J. Myers:

Neighbors got a chance to talk with the officers as well as with each other:

Gill reports the party went on until dark.

(WCN photo from July 25th)
A charge of first-degree robbery is now filed against 30-year-old Bryan Allen Hill of Everett, the man arrested by police shortly after last Wednesday morning’s robbery at Chase Bank in White Center. Charging documents say he entered the bank, banged his gun against a teller’s glass window, then pointed it at the teller and ordered her to give him “All the money, all the money from the drawers.” She pushed money at him through the window, investigators say, and he scooped it up before bolting southbound on 17th SW, even as another bank employee was activating an automatic call to 911. After he left the bank, a citizen saw him drop his gun, bend over to pick it up, and keep running. That citizen, the court documents say, got into his car and followed a ways, but lost sight. Then, detectives say, a sergeant about four blocks from the bank spotted Hill carrying something and alternating between a jog and a fast walk. The sergeant yelled for Hill to stop, yelled again, and then, on the third try, got him to stop. He was found to have a Glock handgun and $1,865 in cash, and witnesses from both inside and outside the bank identified him. He’s jailed in lieu of $150,000 bail and is scheduled to go to court to answer the charge next week.

(Photos by Patrick Sand for West Seattle Blog/White Center Now)
10:33 AM: There’s a search after a robbery was reported at Chase Bank in White Center. Seattle Police are helping search. There’s word of a possible suspect found to the south, but the search will continue until and unless that is verified. Updates to come.

10:46 AM UPDATE: A suspect was taken into custody at 19th/104th; we were there and will add photos. Right now we’re back at the bank to gather more information.

10:58 AM UPDATE: KCSO Sgt. Cindi West says deputies spotted the suspect “jogging” in the area. He was found to have a gun and a bag in his possession. The robber was reported to have shown a gun. So he remains in custody. Added a photo from the bank; arrest-scene photo shortly.

11:35 AM UPDATE: Just added the above clip, with Sgt. West explaining what happened. This is the second White Center bank holdup in less than two weeks. Just yesterday, we reported on the charge filed against the suspect arrested days after the one at KeyBank on July 13th.

The man arrested in connection with the July 13th holdup at White Center’s KeyBank is now charged with attempted first-degree robbery, and court documents say he may be a suspect in two other robberies. Now that he is charged, we will identify him by name – Justin Schupp. Court documents say he entered the bank that afternoon and gave a teller a note saying, “You have 10 seconds to calmly give me all the $100’s in your drawer. This is not a joke. I will f***ing shoot you.” The teller looked at him, the investigator’s narrative says, and “pushed the note back to him,” then “stepped backward in fear.” With that, he “grabbed the note and fled on foot … no cash was taken.”

The robbery attempt was captured on video surveillance, and, according to the court documents, a deputy who saw that video recognized Schupp in a set of photos at the Burien Police precinct, depicting “known criminals” operating in the Burien/White Center area. Turns out the same deputy actually spoke with Schupp two hours before the bank incident, because he was a witness to a car crash at Roxbury/17th – just a block from the KeyBank. And, the charging papers say, once the photo of Schupp was circulated to other officers on July 16th, within half an hour, a deputy recognized him as someone he’d dealt with a year earlier. Then last Wednesday, once the photo also was distributed to media (we published it here), a near-deluge of tips came in, identifying the robber as Justin Schupp, including some from people close to him. The court documents note that of all the tips they received, he was the only person mentioned. They arrested Schupp at 6 pm Wednesday, at which time, court documents say, “he was wearing the same gray fleece hooded jacket and the same tennis shoes as seen in the video the day of the robbery.”

The King County Jail Register says he’s being held in lieu of $35,000 bail. Just ten days before his arrest, he got out of jail after six days related to a case of trafficking in stolen property. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says he is due for arraignment on August 6th.

We got some calls/messages early today about the law-enforcement helicopter Guardian One over the White Center/Highland Park area, and finally found out from King County Sheriff’s Deputy BJ Myers what happened. Talking with us at Jubilee Days, Deputy Myers said it involved a report of gunfire near 17th and 98th. No evidence of the reported gunfire, though, he said – nobody hurt, no property damage, no shell casings found. A suspect was reported to have been seen running; one person was arrested and said to have had a gun, but Deputy Myers said no one has identified him as having been involved with the alleged gunfire.