Murder suspect stalked homeless man before killing him with ax, Seattle police say:-Police say a man from Washington state targeted a homeless man and killed him brutally with what looks like an axe in Seattle. He has been charged with planned murder.
Liam Harrison Kryger, 25, was being held at the King County jail on a $5 million bond Thursday. He was caught on Sunday at his apartment northeast of downtown for first-degree murder.
Murder suspect stalked homeless man before killing him with ax, Seattle police say
USA TODAY got a copy of court papers that show Kryger is charged with killing 52-year-old Daravuth Van early on February 22.
Police Chief Adrian Diaz told reporters on Monday that the body was found outside of Seattle’s Town Hall building around 5 a.m. in the First Hill neighbourhood of the city.
A press release from February 22 says that when police got at the scene that day, they found the body of the victim lying in a corner of the building.
Police say Kryger lives a few blocks away from the building.
Based on what police and the coroner found in their early investigations, the victim had been sleeping when he was hit in the head and killed.
Homeless man found dead by passerby
A probable cause affidavit says that a person on her way to the gym called 911 when she saw the victim lying on the ground with a big pool of blood around his head.
“Van was lying under several blankets and there were two pieces of luggage lined up near him, obviously deceased, with a large gaping wound to his head and a significant pool of blood forming around him,” a detective wrote in the statement.
In the victim’s front trousers pocket, the detective wrote, they found some cash and his government ID card. His other personal items were also close and “appeared to be undisturbed.”
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Cause of death: Sharp blunt force object to the skull
The King County Medical Examiner said Van died because of a “sharp blunt force object that fractured part of his skull and penetrated his brain,” which is evidence in court.
The arrest affidavit for Kryger also says that police got video of the killing from a nearby business and apartment building.
The paper says that on the day of the killing, the suspect was caught on camera walking around the victim at least three times while the man looked like he was sleeping. During this time, the suspect looked around to see if anyone was watching.
“After again confirming that there were no witnesses, he swings a long-handled weapon in a downward motion in the area where victim Yan was lying,” the statement says. “The suspect then walks away from the camera.” This suspect was caught on video from nearby shops just moments after the murder.
Police said the suspect’s face is hidden by a mask in the video. He is wearing a green jacket with a hood, blue pants that are too big on him, a white bandana around his neck and a black backpack “with a long blue-handled object (axe) protruding from the backpack.”
Liam Kryger arrested after warrant executed at home
According to court papers, police saw a person with a suspicious object around 4:30 a.m. Saturday. When they tried to talk to the person, he ran away and dropped an axe.
The affidavit says that detectives tracked the axe to a purchase made at a nearby Lowe’s last month. Kryger was named as the person who made the purchase after the store gave police video of the transaction.
The affidavit says that the axe led police to Kyrger’s house to serve a search order. He was then arrested without any problems early Sunday afternoon.
The detective wrote that when Kryger met with police, they showed him several photos from video footage of the suspect “casing the area of the victim” on the day of the killing. “Kryger admitted that the person in the photos was him.”
Suspect to be arraigned on murder charge
The charge of planned murder against Kryger is set to be brought against him later this month, according to internet records from the Washington County Superior Court.
Online, there was no mention of a lawyer for the defendant.