Suspected drunk driver in head-on collision

by TRAVIS PITTMAN / KING5.com

Posted on November 12, 2009 at 10:25 AM

AUBURN, Wash. – State troopers believe an Idaho man may have been drunk when he collided head-on with a car on State Route 18, sending that driver to the hospital early Thursday morning.

The Washington State Patrol says at about 3:15 a.m., a 2001 Toyota Tacoma was being driven erratically on northbound Interstate 5 near Federal Way. A witness followed the truck as it exited onto SR 18 and then onto Weyerhaeuser Way.

Troopers say the pickup then got back onto SR 18, but was headed eastbound in the westbound lanes, headed down Peasley Canyon toward Auburn. The truck collided head-on with a 1993 Subaru Legacy, driven by a 42-year-old Auburn man.

Both drivers were taken to Harborview Medical Center. The Subaru driver had serious injuries. The driver of the Toyota, a 25-year-old Soda Springs, Idaho man, had minor injuries.

The pickup driver is being investigated for vehicular assault. Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the collision.

All lanes of westbound SR 18 were closed at the scene for about two hours while troopers investigated. Both vehicles were crushed in the accident.

Bellevue woman accused of raping daughter's boyfriend

KOMO-TV STAFF

BELLEVUE -- Police here have arrested a woman for allegedly raping her daughter's 14-year-old boyfriend.

The 32-year-old woman, who was arrested Thursday at her home for investigation of second-degree child rape, has not been charged.

Police spokeswoman Carla Iafrate said the crime allegedly occurred at the woman's home and was brought to the attention of police last month by state Child Protective Services workers.

Details of the alleged crime and CPS case were not available.

Investigators expect to send the case to the King County Prosecutor's Office later this week, Iafrate said.

In initial move, prosecutors leave room for death sentence

By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

A King County judge has found probable cause to hold Christopher Monfort on suspicion of first-degree attempted murder and aggravated first-degree murder, a charge that could carry a death sentence.

Monfort, 41, is the suspect in the Halloween slaying of Seattle Police Officer Tim Brenton, who was shot to death in his patrol car alongside his partner, Officer Britt Sweeney. Sweeney ducked and was grazed in the back, receiving a non-life threatening wound.

On Friday, Seattle detectives shot Monfort at his Tukwila home after he allegedly drew a pistol. Police have since said that DNA evidence links Monfort to the shooting and a separate arson of four police cars.

Investigators said an assault rifle found at Monfort's home matches to bullets recovered from the shooting.

Following a request by defense attorneys to meet with the Brenton's alleged killer, King County Superior Court Judge Sharon Armstrong found Monday that prosecutors had met the initial legal standard to detain Monfort. Charges are expected to follow later this week.

Asking to receive access to Monfort, veteran public defenders Julie Lawry and Gary Davis told a King County Superior Court judge their efforts to visit the man had been blocked by law enforcement and hospital staff since the shooting.

Monfort remains under guard at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Lawry said during the emergency hearing Monday. Though she could not offer details, she said she believes he remains on a ventilator but may have written the word "attorney" on a piece of paper near his hospital bed.

Lawry said Monfort's family has also been blocked from access to his hospital room, and denied information about his condition.

"They're devastated," said Lawry, who met with Monfort's relatives earlier Monday. "They're devastated for two people, the officer and Christopher."

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Jeff Baird said that Monfort had been read his Miranda rights but offered no reply. Though he had not requested an attorney, prosecutors did not object to Lawry and Davis joining the case nor did they dispute that Monfort is in fact in custody.

Like Lawry, Baird said he had not been apprised of Monfort's condition and did not know whether he'd suffered any brain damage during the shooting.

"He's in no condition to come to court," Baird told the judge. "And I have no idea when he will be."

With Armstrong's finding, prosecutors now have until Friday to file formal charges in the case. Should an aggravated murder charge be filed in Brenton's death, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg would then have to decide whether to seek a death sentence.

While state law requires a decision within 30 days of charges being filed, the process is often delayed due to defense requests for additional time to gather evidence that could sway prosecutors from seeking a death sentence. Execution or a life sentence are the only punishments available following a conviction of aggravated murder.

Satterberg is currently facing a similar choice in the case of Isaiah Kalebu, who pleaded not guilty in August to charges that he raped and murdered Theresa Butz in her South Park home.

Satterberg previously opted to seek a death sentence in his first aggravated murder case since taking office, that of accused Carnation killers Michele Anderson and Joseph McEnroe.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com.

Kent police identify shooting victim as Lt. Gov. Brad Owen's son

By DENNIS BOX
COVINGTON REPORTER

The Kent Police Department confirmed the victim in a shooting incident in Kent is 37-year-old Mark Owen, son of Lt. Gov. Brad Owen.

Mark Owen is listed in satisfactory condition at Harborview Medical Center.

The 63-year-old suspect, a manager at Kent Body and Paint located at 831 5th Av. S., where the shooting occurred, is also at Harborview after turning the firearm on himself.

According to a Kent Police Department statement, the man is alive, but has life-threatening injuries.

The released also stated Lt. Gov. Owen has been fully cooperative with the investigation and is at Harborview with his son.

Kent Police Chief Steve Strachan stated in the release, “Although there is never any reason or logic for violence in the work place, we are diligently investigating the circumstances that led up to this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with Lt. Gov. Owen and his family at this very difficult time."

An earlier release from the department stated the shooting occurred at 2:30 p.m. today.

When officers arrived at the scene they found Mark Owen with a gunshot injury to the arm and abdomen.
Officers found the 63-year-old man about one block away. According to the release the man had shot himself in the head.

Both suspects were treated at the scene by the Kent Fire Department emergency medical personnel and transported to Harborview Medical Center.

This article was originally published in the Covington Reporter on November 9, 2009.
Dennis Box can be reached at editor@maplevalleyreporter.com.

Couple pleads not guilty to Webcasting rape of girl

KOMO-TV STAFF

A man and his ex-wife accused of broadcasting live online the rape of a 4-year-old girl pleaded not guilty to all charges in court Monday.

Brian K. Beston, 36, of Kent, and Hollie Beston, 31, of Burien, have each been charged with first-degree child rape, first-degree child molestation, exploitation of a minor and dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually-explicit conduct.

According to court documents, the two abused the girl between June 2009 and Oct. 23, 2009, and sent child pornography to another accused child molester in San Diego whom they met online.

It was FBI agents investigating the San Diego suspect who brought the Bestons' case to the attention of Seattle police.

The Bestons allegedly met the California man on Craigslist where the man, posing as a single mother under the handle "jennymomsd," had posted an entry looking for other parents in both San Diego and Seattle, according to investigators.

Brian Beston first came across jennymomsd, and introduced the person to Hollie Beston, investigators said, initiating a correspondence via e-mail and instant messenger between the three of them.

The couple began exchanging child porn with jennymomsd and soon the Internet contact "was accepted as a fellow child lover," the court documents said. Jennymomsd then requested pornographic images of children and began receiving pictures of a young girl, according to detectives.

Jennymomsd claimed to have a brother interested in having sex with children, prosecutors said, and the conversations eventually turned to talks of this brother visiting Seattle to have sex with the young girl featured in the photographs sent by the Bestons.

But Jennymomsd remained skeptical of the authenticity of the Bestons' photos; he thought the images may have been pulled from the Internet, he told investigators. When he expressed his skepticism to Brian Beston, the Kent man offered to present the girl via a live video feed, the documents said.

Brian Beston, using the camera on his computer, provided a live feed showing him sexually molesting the girl for approximately five minutes, detectives said, even briefly holding up a sheet of paper with the day's date written on it to prove the authenticity of the feed.

The man who went by the username jennymomsd later confirmed to federal agents that the girl featured in the feed was the same girl who had appeared in the 40 to 50 pornographic images the Bestons had sent him throughout the course of their correspondence.

During another live feed session, jennymomsd watched Brian and Hollie Benson have sex, through which he got a clear view of their faces, according to the statement. This information, along with a phone number Hollie Benson had provided jennymomsd, later helped investigators confirm the Bestons' identity.

After federal agents found the images of the girl on jennymomsd's computer, Seattle police detectives searched the homes of Brian and Hollie Beston, seizing computers, cameras, flash drives and cell phones. Investigators said the equipment had been used to record and distribute child pornography.

Brian Beston admitted to having abused the 4-year-old girl, as well as to having taken images and video of her and sending them over the Internet, the court documents said. Beston told detectives he began abusing the girl in June 2009, and continued to do so once or twice a week until the beginning of October.
Hollie Beston told investigators she had knowledge of the alleged abuse, in which she took "an active role," investigators said. She admitted to having witnessed the abuse, and taking sexually-explicit photos of the girl.

Brian and Hollie Beston are being held in the King County Jail on $500,000 bail.

The alleged victim is in protective custody.

In King County Superior Court on Monday, a judge ordered that the Bestons have no contact with the victim or any other children.

Woman who starved stepdaughter sentenced to prison

Over defense objections, Carnation woman recieves 3 1/2-year term

By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Accused of methodically starving her stepdaughter alongside her husband, Rebecca Arwen Long was sentenced to prison Friday over her attorney's objections.

Long's attorney, alleging that his client suffered a condition commonly know as multiple personality disorder, had asked that she be allowed to continue outpatient mental health treatment. Instead, King County Superior Court Judge William Downing followed the prosecution's recomendation in sentencing Long for starving the girl for years, imposing the maximum 3 1/2-year prison term.

Having entered a modified guilty plea in September, Long stood accused of denying her stepdaughter food and water for years. The abuse was so severe, according to court documents, that the girl lost all but six of her teeth and actually lost weight in the five years before her Aug. 13, 2008 rescue.

Long's codefendant and the girl's father, John Pomeroy, previously pleaded guilty to an identical charge, first-degree criminal mistreatment. He was sentenced to a 3-year prison term, the maximum sentence available within the standard sentencing range.

Recalling the day of the girl's rescue for the court, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Zachary Wagnild described the scene facing a King County sheriff's deputy.

Called to the home after a neighbor reported a young girl crying loudly for hours the night before, the deputy first spoke with Long who denied any disturbance and said her stepdaughter was simply acting up. The deputy asked to speak to the girl.

Intending to let the girl know her tantrum was annoying neighbors, he was shocked when the 47-pound 14-year-old came to the door.

"The emaciated figure that stood before him looked nothing like a teenage girl," Wagnild wrote the court, requesting a 3-year prison term. "What she looked like was a prisoner of war."

In the weeks that followed, authorities and medical providers would begin to comprehend the extent of the torture the girl had endured at the hands of her stepmother and father.

The girl told investigators that, for nearly as long as she could remember her parents had kept her on a starvation diet, locking her in her room at night to prevent her from "sneaking" more than the 6 ounces of water a day she was allowed, Wagnild told the court. Her body told the tale.

Her teeth, eroded due to a lack of saliva, were so brittle one broke when she attempted to bite into a piece of celery, medical records show. Her bones had lacked the fuel for the growth expected during puberty but had hardened with age, holding her at 4-foot, 7-inches tall until she was removed from Long and Pomeroy's care and given treatment that allowed her grow nearly five inches in the past year.

During her imprisonment, she told investigators, she was so thirsty she once used a straw to suck morning condensation off of a window. She said her parents also denied her the usual joys of childhood; she was not allowed to visit friends, use the computer or even pet the golden retriever puppy that became the family dog.

Largely home schooled, the girl complained of her mistreatment while participating in a program at Carnation Elementary School in March 2005. Alarmed school staff passed the report of abuse to police and child protective services, court records show, and demanded that she be removed from her parents' care.

Though the complaint was looked into, investigators ultimately deemed the case a "low risk" and took no substantive action.

"This incident taught (her) that reporting the abuse to authorities did not mean that she would be helped," Wagnild said in court documents. "To the contrary, her reporting only served to make her parents angrier and the abuse more severe."

Long and Pomeroy removed the girl and her younger brother from the school entirely. No one outside the family saw the girl for three years, Wagnild contended, until the deputy arrived at the home.

As her daughter starved, Long continued to care for the girl's younger brother. Child protection investigators note in court documents seeing the boy pulling food from the refrigerator during one home visit after the March 2005 complaint.

Defense attorney Robert Wayne claimed that Long suffers from depression and dissociative identity disorder, known widely as multiple personality disorder.

Speaking with the media following his client's guilty plea, Wayne claimed that Long had suffered with the disorder since the mid-1990s. He contends his client's alleged condition stems from abuse she suffered as a child, and that she'd been treated for the mental illness for many years.

Entering her modified guilty plea -- in which she denied the allegations against her while admitting a jury would likely convict her -- and addressing the court Friday, Long appeared demure and slightly confused. That impression, Wagnild argued, stood at odds with her stepchildren's experience with her.

"Despite living with her for almost eight years, neither (child) had observed Ms. Long act this way," Wagnild said in court documents. "They were both surprised and confused by her sudden change in demeanor."

In court documents, Wayne also claimed Long had been abused by Pomeroy, an assertion that fails to find support from either of Pomeroy's children or the public record. Pomeroy, Wayne claimed, "relished his dominance over Rebecca."

Detectives serving a search warrant on the couple's home in August 2008 describe a different scene in police reports. Resisting the intrusion, Long told officers she was contacting an attorney and ordered Pomeroy to follow them throughout the house documenting any items seized; after searching for writing materials, detectives told the court, Pomeroy obliged his wife.

Wagnild argued in court documents that Long's personal blog -- Shades of Green -- shows that she was far not the distraught, mentally unstable woman portrayed by her attorney.

In dozens of posts, Long describes her knitting projects, her to-do lists and light-hearted arguments with Pomeroy, who is pictured posing for the camera in a sweater knit by Long. She describes herself as someone who enjoys herself, likes to "take it easy" and "self-indulge."

In court documents, Wagnild assailed Long's claims of mental illness and spousal abuse. "Mr. Wayne's claims would be laughable if the consequences of the court's believing them would not be so devastating," Wagnild said. "In short, these claims are fiction. Ms. Long is simply trying to manipulate the system."

Hearing an argument early Friday on whether Long's sentencing proceeding should be sealed to the public, Downing found that the public interest in the case and issues surrounding it outweighed claims by her attorneys that an open hearing would be harmful to Long. He also ruled that declarations filed with the court by Long's psychologist and social worker should be open for public review.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com.

Officer shooting suspect linked to arson, called 'domestic terrorist'

By CASEY MCNERTHNEY
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

The man suspected of killing a Seattle police officer Halloween night was a loner who had homemade explosives, a military assault rifle and another firearm in his modest Tukwila apartment, investigators said.

The apartment also contained printed news reports of an Oct. 22 arson of four Seattle police vehicles -- a crime investigators think the suspect, Christopher J. Monfort, committed with pipe bombs.

A threatening note was left at the scene, as were fliers referencing "police brutality" that specifically mentioned a recent King County case involving a former sheriff's deputy who beat a teenage girl in a SeaTac holding cell.

A manifesto railing against police brutality and naming the former deputy accused in the jail cell incident was also found in Monfort's apartment, The Seattle Times reported.

An American flag found near where Brenton was shot provided a link between the cases, a law enforcement source said. Assistant Chief Jim Pugel said at a Saturday news conference there was one critical "piece of evidence" at the homicide scene that resembled something else found in the Charles Street arson case.

"This man, from everything that we can tell, appears to be a lone domestic terrorist," he said, adding they haven't ruled out other associates in the crimes.

Seattle police cited Monfort for driving without insurance about a week before the police vehicles were torched. But Pugel said the officers shot were targeted at random and police said Saturday morning a specific motive for Monfort's actions remained unclear.

But police said Monfort, 41, didn't have many friends. The former McNair Scholar at the University of Washington seemed like a know-it-all, but couldn't get hired by the Los Angeles Police Department when he lived there, his former landlord said.

Neighbors in Tukwila said he wasn't very talkative. At Highline Community College, Monfort ran for student government, saying he wanted to make students more aware of civil liberties lost under the federal Patriot Act, according to the college newspaper.

But he failed at that, too. Monfort complained to that newspaper after many of his votes were flagged as fraudulent, and later resigned from the student senate in May 2004, according to minutes of a Highline Board of Trustees meeting.

Thursday afternoon, Seattle police released a profile of the suspected shooter, saying he likely experienced a significant personal crisis in the recent past, possibly related to employment. They also thought he might admire and even act like a police officer.

Monfort had been recently laid off from a job as a security guard or private investigator, a Seattle police source familiar with the investigation said.

Some thought his Datsun 210 matched a car seen passing Seattle police officers Tim Brenton and Britt Sweeney exactly 20 minutes before they were both shot near 29th Avenue and East Yesler Way.

Homicide detectives went to the Tukwila apartment complex while thousands of people at KeyArena remembered Brenton as a dedicated family man who had wanted to follow his father into law enforcement since childhood.

Confronting the suspect

The detectives contacted the manager of The Terrace Apartments, who gave them the name of a tenant whom police traced to the Datsun.

"We didn't touch the car -- we wanted to preserve it for possible evidence," Pugel said of the initial investigation. "We immediately got one of the two King County prosecutors who have been embedded with us since this investigation began last Saturday night."

Two more Seattle police teams were sent to secure the vehicle and were aided by plain-clothes Tukwila detectives.

While officers walked through a parking lot near other officers, Monfort walked toward them. Pugel said the suspect immediately pulled a gun.

But it didn't fire, police said. Monfort ran a short distance before he was shot in another confrontation. The Seattle homicide detectives fired four to six rounds, a department spokesman said.

Besides the old hatchback that police say Monfort may have used in the police shooting, neighbors also recalled the suspect driving a car that looked like a former police vehicle -- a green Crown Victoria recovered by investigators, Pugel said Saturday.

Tangee Moses, who lives in the same apartment complex, said she heard four shots about 3:15 p.m. and peeked out a window. She saw police and heard someone yell.

Two people who also were detained by police Friday were not connected to the police shooting case, Pugel said.

Monfort remained in serious condition Sunday morning at Harborview Medical Center.

Friday night, all residents of the complex were evacuated after the Tukwila Fire Department arranged for buses to temporary housing. Investigators called in a remote-controlled police device to clear sections believed to contain explosives.

An off-duty Tukwila firefighter who lives nearby told Seattle police that he'd previously responded to calls of loud explosions in the area, "which is not unusual for a person who is planning something to test something out, to test-fire a gun, to see if an explosive or a fuse or something else works."

Police have asked that any neighbors who heard similar noises contact their tip line at (206) 233-5000. Anonymous tips can be left at 1-800-222-TIPS.

"It is important, though, that the individuals out there do call the tip line which we still have fully staffed to ensure that if you've ever seen this person, heard of him, met him or are associated with him, that you let us know," Pugel said.

Monfort hasn't spent jail or prison time in Washington, and court records show traffic infractions are the only marks on his state record.

Monfort's first Washington state court record is a ticket for a defective turn signal in 2007. The second, earlier this year, is for speeding at least 15 miles per hour over the limit. Both were in Snohomish County.

Monfort was cited by Seattle police last month for driving a motor vehicle without insurance.

The charge was filed Oct. 16 and Monfort contested the $513 fine -- a $550 obligation overall -- according to court records. A court conference was scheduled for Nov. 30. The notice was mailed to Monfort's Tukwila apartment.

A copy of the citation was not available Saturday, but Pugel said he was not aware of Brenton and Sweeney being involved with the ticket.

Pugel said Saturday morning that police personnel were still checking to see if Monfort had ever tried to join the Seattle Police Department.

Studied 'jury nullification'

Monfort had studied the controversial issue of "jury nullification," in which jurors vote to acquit suspects even if they believe them to be guilty because they feel the law they're accused of breaking is immoral or unfairly applied.

As a McNair Scholar, he presented a project called, "The Power of Citizenship Your Government Doesn't Want You to Know About: How to Change the Inequity of the Criminal Justice System Immediately, Through Active Citizen Nullification of Laws, As a Juror."

He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in law, societies and justice, according to the University of Washington's degree-validation Web site.

Previously, Monfort studied in the administration of justice program at Highline Community College about five years ago, said Garry Wegner, his academic adviser and the Highline program coordinator.

Though students in that program tend to be interested in working as police officers or in corrections, Wegner said Monfort wasn't interested at that point in being a cop.

Wegner said the man told him he "wanted to make a difference" in society, and Wegner suggested he go to law school. On a Web site, Monfort described Wegner as his inspiration to enter a program at the University of Washington.

Older than the typical students in Wegner's program, "he was a mature, stable, fun guy to be around," said Wegner. "Very pleasant."

"He was very smart. Put a lot of attention into his work. Good academically. He seemed like a natural leader," Wegner said.

"He would check in with me from time to time to tell me how he was doing," Wegner said. "The last time I talked to him was four or five months ago. He indicated he wanted to be (study) history, with an emphasis in constitutional law. I told him I thought that would be a good thing for him to do."

Monfort's mother, who lives in Alaska, did not return messages for comment.

Officers were serving additional warrants at the apartment complex Saturday.

The father of Tim Brenton told KCPQ/13 he'd like to have five minutes with the man who killed his 39-year-old son in cold blood.

Brenton met his wife, Lisa, in Spokane, and after graduating from Spokane Community College, he started his career in law enforcement. He worked in Hoquiam and La Conner before joining the Seattle department, following in his father's path.

Friends recalled Brenton, who is also survived by an 11-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son, as a humble, dedicated man who wanted to be a police officer from the time he was old enough to play cops and robbers.

"The day I pinned his badge on him in the academy," his father told KCPQ/13, "is probably the proudest day that I've probably ever had."

Hearst Newspapers investigative reporter Eric Nalder, and seattlepi.com staff members Chris Grygiel, Michelle Nicolosi and Levi Pulkkinen contributed to this report. Casey McNerthney can be reached at 206-448-8220 or caseymcnerthney@seattlepi.com. Follow his Twitter feed at twitter.com/mcnerthney.

Alleged home invasion leaves Seattle man with broken neck

By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Three Kent residents -- including two juveniles -- have been charged with burglary and robbery on allegations they beat a Seattle man in his home on Halloween.

Filing charges Wednesday, King County prosecutors allege that Randy Monsegur, 16, was angry with the 63-year-old man's son for speaking to police recently.

Arriving at the man's South Seattle home at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Monsegur allegedly hit the man over the head with a lamp as he answered the door. Prosecutors allege that Monsegur and his partners then ransacked the home, at one point demanding money from the man.

Police allege that Monsegur later admitted to beating the man with a board as he lay prone on the floor of his home. Officers later recovered items taken from the man's home at Monsegur's residence.

Michael D. Jones, 34, accused of driving Monsegur and Shytwan Manor, 17, to the home, allegedly later told police Monsegur and Manor returned to his truck "laughing about beating the old man."

The man's injuries were not discovered until his son returned to the South Creston Street home the following morning. He was rushed to Harborview Medical Center, where he was treated for a broken neck, broken ribs and head trauma.

Like Monsegur, Jones and Manor have been charged with first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary in King County Superior Court. Though the two teens are juveniles, they have been charged in adult court due to the violent nature of the alleged offenses.

Requesting that all three defendants be held on $200,000 bail, Deputy Prosecutor Dana Cashman told the court all three charged went to the man's home intent on committing the crime.

"The victim is 63 years old and was seriously injured in this attack," Cashman said in court documents. "This was an unprovoked attack on an elderly man in his own home."

All three remain in custody. They are scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 16 in King County Superior Court.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com.

Jailhouse phone calls played for jury in Haq case

Defense contends claims are evidence of ill mind

By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Naveed Haq was, by his own admission, in a very good mood in the weeks after the killing.

On suicide watch in King County Jail in the days following the July 28, 2006, shooting spree, Haq had gunned down Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle worker Pam Waechter and seriously injured five other women after opening fire in the Belltown center.

Calling his parents' Pasco home over a monitored jail phone, Haq in essence bragged about the shooting and told his mother and a family friend that he was a "jihadi" and hoped to become a martyr. Told to pray for forgiveness, Haq is heard saying he felt he needed none on recordings of the jail phone calls played for a King County jury hearing the case against him.

"They deserved it," Haq told his mother. "She was an Israeli collaborator."

Hearing her son's hateful words, Haq's mother defended Waechter -- "She was a good woman," Nahida Haq told her son, describing a woman she only began to know in death -- and urged the mentally ill man to ignore the voices that had troubled his mind since his youth.

"Remember the voices in your head, you just have to neglect them," Nahida Haq told her son. "Those are not true things. Those are evil thinking."

Prosecutors leveling the aggravated murder case against Haq played the tapes for the jury Wednesday. The recordings mark the most significant addition to the case against the 34-year-old Haq, which was tried in 2008 but ended with the jury unable to reach a verdict.

In court, prosecutors have argued that the recordings show Haq targeted the center to because he was angry at the Jewish people over perceived wrongs done to Muslims in the Middle East. Haq can be heard repeating his claim that he is a jihadist, meaning, in his view, a Muslim holy warrior.

Arguing that the tapes should not be played at trial, Haq's attorneys contended that the recordings show little except the outlandish claims produced by an ill mind. They asserted that Haq has not repeated his claims of jihad since jail staff put him back on lithium, an anti-psychotic drug they argue had allowed Haq to manage his mental illness for years until his medication was changed months before the shooting.

That division in opinion -- whether Haq's actions at the center were driven by hate or mental illness, with which Haq has been repeatedly diagnosed -- remains the core issue on trial. If convicted on the most serious count against him, aggravated murder, Haq faces a mandatory life sentence; his attorneys contend that a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict would keep Haq confined at an institution for the rest of his life.

On tapes recorded days after the shooting, Haq can be heard bragging about the killing to a family friend, who did not share his apparent glee.

Asked if he was feeling better, Haq said he couldn't possibly be.

"I'm not better, I'm feeling great," Haq said. "I just want to tell you the reason I did it is because I wanted to be a martyr. That's the reason I did it." "You need to do a lot of praying on a lot of things," the woman responded, "because Allah doesn't tell you anywhere in the Koran that you need to kill people to go to heaven.

"You're not a jihadi. I saw you two months ago with a cross on your chest. I know you're not a jihadi. I know you're someone who is not mentally stable."

Haq had converted to Christianity some time in the year before the shooting, according to court records, but had returned to his parents' Muslim faith.

The trial is expected to continue through late November. Haq remains confined at King County Jail; in addition to aggravated first-degree murder, he has been charged with five counts of attempted first-degree murder, unlawful imprisonment and malicious harassment, the state's hate crime statute.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com.

Man shot by police a veteran

The father of a 26-year-old Lake Stevens man who was fatally shot by police on Sunday, says his son returned from three deployments in Iraq an angry man.

By Christine Clarridge

Seattle Times staff reporter

When John LaBossiere returned from his third tour in Iraq this summer, he was an angry man, according to his father.

"I'm not saying that all of his issues were war-related," Phil LaBossiere said on Tuesday. "But it seems to me that the service just used him and spit him out."

John LaBossiere, 26, was fatally shot by a Lake Stevens police officer on Sunday after he reportedly forced his way into a home where his wife and three children were staying with friends. Investigators found one handgun near him and another on his body, according to Sgt. Robert Goetz, a spokesman for the Snohomish County Multi-Agency Response Team (SMART), which is investigating the shooting.

According to Goetz, officers were called to a "domestic disturbance" that involved a weapon at about 8 p.m. in the 10400 block of 25th Street Southeast near Lake Stevens in unincorporated Snohomish County. Two Lake Stevens officers arrived and almost immediately got into an "altercation" with LaBossiere that ended in LaBossiere's death, Goetz said.

The 23-year-old Lake Stevens officer who shot LaBossiere has been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the results of the shooting investigation by SMART, Goetz said.

Police did not release further information about the shooting on Tuesday, and LaBossiere's name was not released by the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office pending identification.

Phil LaBossiere, however, confirmed his son's death.

He said he believes his son was "confused and upset" by his return to the civilian world and a deteriorating marriage.

John LaBossiere grew up in Lake Stevens and, as a child, loved camping, fishing and playing soccer, according to his father. He graduated from Lake Stevens High School in 2001, just months before the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. Motivated to serve his country, LaBossiere enlisted in the Marine Corps.

Over the next four years, he married and was twice deployed to Iraq.

After receiving an honorable discharge in 2006, he returned with his wife to Snohomish County, where they lived in his parents' rental house in Everett.

He then joined the Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq for a third time.

By the time he returned in August, it was obvious that something was wrong, his father said.

John LaBossiere had "turned into" someone his family hardly recognized, his father said.

He seemed to have lost some of his skills for coping with the nonmilitary world and had a distinct preference for being armed at all times, his father said.

"We begged him to get help, but the only person who could have made him get help is his commander," Phil LaBossiere said.

Phil LaBossiere said the military needs to do a better job of helping returning service members adjust to civilian life.

"If there's an inkling, even a tiny inkling of traumatic stress or anger problems, the service needs to pursue treatment fully before they let them back into society," Phil LaBossiere said.

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com

Police reviewing video in officer shooting case

By CASEY MCNERTHNEY
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Investigators are reviewing several hours of in-car video, trying to find a suspect in the fatal Halloween shooting of Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton and wounding of of his partner.

Police were looking for vehicles similar to the vague description of the car used in the Saturday night shooting -- a beige, white or possibly silver two-door car that fled on 29th Avenue.

But Sgt. Sean Whitcomb said late Monday night police had not identified a suspect or a specific vehicle.

"Right now, we're tracking down a number of leads," he said.

Police said they haven't determined how many people were in the suspect car. They also did not disclose information about the weapon used or rounds fired.

Whitcomb also asked the public to continue providing tips. The reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter was increased to $85,000 Tuesday.

Police believe the suspect car initially fled in reverse, possibly because the suspect may have known patrol cars have front-end cameras. Officers have said the assassination was a deliberate attack that appeared to target Brenton and his partner, Officer Britt Sweeney, at random.

Sweeney returned fire, but investigators are unclear if the suspect or suspect vehicle was struck.

Seattle police received information from a Southern California police agency about a possible gang-related officer shooting there.

But that information is general in nature, Assistant Chief Jim Pugel said.

"There's absolutely no connection [to the Seattle shooting] that we can tell with any other police department, but we do benefit greatly and allow the investigation to mature by getting all this information," Assistant Chief Jim Pugel said Tuesday afternoon.

"And most likely it also allows us to exclude that information."

Pugel, who responded to the Saturday shooting scene near East Yesler Way and 29th Avenue, read reporters a handwritten letter from one of Brenton's family members.

"Even with the tragic loss, Tim's wife and children are finding solace in the support from the police community, their friends and family and the community as a whole," the letter said. "We know that Tim would be honored and humbled by the limitless support that has been provided at the difficult time."

Click here to hear audio of Pugel reading the letter.

Clear Channel donated digital billboard space in Kent, providing tip lines and a bold message to help solve Brenton's murder. Pugel said the company had space available there, but specified officers are not targeting leads in Kent.

Pugel said Tuesday officers were still investigating the Oct. 22 arson of four police vehicles at a city lot, but had not linked that unsolved incident to the officer shootings.

"It would be reckless for us not to look at what happened on Oct. 22, but at the same time we don't know if it is connected," he said. "So that's why were considering that as well as many others."

Specific threats for future attacks on officers were not left at the fire scene, police said.

Rounds fired from Sweeney's service weapon have been recovered, and she is working with investigators.

"I believe strongly we're going to get them," he said of a shooting suspect or suspects.

Anonymous tipsters may be left for CrimeStoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Casey McNerthney can be reached at 206-448-8220 or caseymcnerthney@seattlepi.com. Follow his Twitter feed at twitter.com/mcnerthney.

Crooks posing as cops rape fast-food worker

KOMO-TV

TACOMA. -- Crooks who have masqueraded as police officers and kidnapped and robbed fast-food restaurant managers in the past month struck again Sunday, but this time, police say they've elevated their crimes to rape.

A Lakewood Wendy's Restaurant employee was on her way home from work around 2:20 a.m. Sunday when she was pulled over by a vehicle with red-and-blue flashing lights, said Lauren Wallin with the Pierce County Sheriff's Office's CrimeStoppers program.

Two armed robbers handcuffed her boyfriend and placed him in the trunk of his car, then demanded her keys to the restaurant.

The woman didn't have keys to the restaurant, and after realizing this, the robbers took the victim into a fenced, wooded area in the 1900 block of East 56th Street in Tacoma and raped her, Wallin said.

The rape victim, whom KOMO News has chosen not to identify, said the thieves then "told me if I say anything, they are going to hurt me and my family."

"And that's scary. They know where I work, they know where I live," she said. "Just scared to know that there are people like this out there. I didn't do anything. I don't even know who they are."

The victim said she doesn't understand why the thieves followed her instead of robbing her at work.

"Why would they do that? Why would they go that far? If they really needed money, they could have gotten me right then and there," she said.

But that's not the way these thieves work, according to investigators. Sunday's incident was the fourth time the robbers have struck in a similar manner in the past month.

In all incidents, restaurant managers in Pierce County were pulled over by a vehicle with red-and-blue flashing lights shortly after closing and leaving their restaurant. Two unidentified suspects wearing bandannas over their faces then approached the victims' vehicle, flashed guns and handcuffed the victim.

In the previous three incidents, one of the robbers drove the victim back to the restaurant and forced the victim, at gunpoint, to unlock the doors, open the safe and hand over the cash.

Another robber then picked up the first suspect in a getaway car, detectives believe.

The previous three kidnapping/robberies occurred:

* 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, Burger King on Mountain Highway in Graham.
* 3:15 a.m. Friday, Oct. 23, Wendy's on Hosmer Street in Tacoma (attempted robbery)
* 12:40 a.m. Monday, Oct. 5, McDonald's on Steilacoom Boulevard in Lakewood

"The robberies are bad enough. It's scary for everyone involved fortunately they haven't turned deadly," said Tacoma Police Det. Mark Fulghum.

The men have used vehicles described as a dark, newer SUV and an older black Honda with tinted windows, with red-and-blue lights on the dashboard.

During the robberies, the pair have been wearing dark hooded sweatshirts, dark hats, bandannas and gloves, and have been armed with handguns.

The kidnappings and robberies are being investigated by the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, Lakewood Police and Tacoma Police.

A reward of $1,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and charges filed for the robbers in this case. To contact police, call 253- 591-5959. All callers will remain anonymous.

Seattle Police Officer killed October, 31 2009

Police checking leads in officer's killing

Student trainee hurt while veteran succumbs in Saturday night shooting

By CASEY MCNERTHNEY
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

All available Seattle police resources are being used to find the person responsible for killing a veteran officer and nearly killing a student trainee as they sat in a parked car Saturday night discussing a traffic stop.

Twenty-four hours after the tragic incident in the city's Leschi neighborhood, a police department spokesman said officers were working several leads but did not have any specific suspects.

Officer Timothy Q. Brenton, 39, died in the passenger seat of his parked patrol car after being struck in the head. Britt Sweeney, 33, the student in the driver's seat, was hit in the back.

Brenton, a Marysville resident, joined the Seattle department in December 2000. Fellow officers said Brenton worked on the East Precinct Anti-Crime Team -- one of the elite units that targets specific criminals -- and was friendly with colleagues.

Several described him as a dedicated officer.

His father had been a Seattle police officer, as had his uncle. Brenton, part of West Seattle High School's class of 1988, had joined the department after working as an officer in La Conner. His brother-in-law works for the Seattle Fire Department.

Assistant Chief Nick Metz, who was with Brenton's family Saturday night, asked that reporters respect the grieving relatives' privacy. Seattlepi.com is not publishing a photo of the officer because one has not been officially released through the family or department.

Interim Chief John Diaz and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels met Saturday night with Sweeney. She had graduated about seven months ago from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center, a department spokesman said.

"I offered to her our thanks for doing a tough job," Nickels said. "She has faced an officer's worst nightmare just weeks into her police career."

At 10:06 p.m. Saturday night, the pair was on 29th Avenue between East Yesler Way and East Spruce Street, discussing details of an apparently unrelated traffic stop that occurred a short time before, officers said.

Brenton was in the passenger seat when another vehicle -- described as a light-colored small car, possibly a gray or white Toyota -- drove next to them. Police do not know how many people were in the suspect vehicle, but one started shooting through the passenger window of the police car.

There was no warning, officials said.

Sweeney sensed danger and yelled, Assistant Chief Jim Pugel said. She ducked, and a bullet grazed her back. The round tore into her ballistic vest.

Brenton was hit by multiple rounds.

In a haunting radio call, an emotional Sweeney can be heard giving their location and describing Brenton's condition.

The small, light-colored car fled northbound on 29th Avenue. Sweeney exited and returned fire, possibly hitting the car. Police also commended her calls for help and backup:

"Her actions by the homicide unit have been described as that of a 10-year veteran: how well she handled herself, how well she communicated and how well she tried to save officer Brenton's life, as well as take the suspect into custody."

Nickels called it a cold-blooded shooting -- a brutal, senseless act that put the city in shock.

"Let me be very clear," he said, "we will not rest until the assailant is brought to justice."

He ordered flags in Seattle flown at half staff until after Brenton's funeral.

At about 2:45 a.m. Sunday, a Medic One unit carrying Brenton turned from Martin Luther King Jr. Way onto East Yesler Way. A procession of 31 law enforcement and Seattle Fire Department vehicles with lights on followed the unit carrying him to Harborview Medical Center.

Sunday afternoon, another police procession followed his body to Bonney-Watson Funeral Home on Capitol Hill. A memorial service is pending.

Dozens of people brought flowers to a memorial on 29th Avenue, where Brenton was killed. See images of the scene here.

"Through the years, I've seen too many of our fellow officers buried," said an emotional Diaz, who had spent time with Brenton's mother, brother and sister. "Some are close friends and it never gets any easier."

The first priority of the department is taking care of Brenton's family, Diaz said, and "all resources will be used no matter what it takes to make sure we bring this person or these people to justice." Fellow officers stayed with Sweeney on Sunday.

Diaz said the case would be solved by the work of Seattle officers and partnering law enforcement agencies, science, "and most importantly, community."

Police had some indications that a person of interest arrested Saturday night for investigation of obstruction may not be connected to the fatal shooting, Pugel said.

The case was rapidly evolving, and several neighbors had come forward with information, he said. But police still need more.

People with any information about the case or possible suspects were asked to call a Seattle tip line: (206) 233-5000. Tips could also be made anonymously to Crime Stoppers at (206) 343-2020, or through a text message by texting TIP486 with a message, then sending that to 274637 (CRIMES).

The Seattle Police Officers Guild and Crime Stoppers are offering a $21,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter.

Following the fatal incident Saturday, some police were told of a man in his mid-20s who had been booked into King County Jail for investigation of threats. He was released on bail about 6:45 p.m. Saturday, according to jail records. That man was arrested again and booked into jail Sunday morning for investigation of obstruction.

Police would not confirm if a rifle was used by the shooter, who shot through a passenger window while facing the same direction as the officers' patrol car.

There had been no threats against Brenton, according to Pugel. It appeared Brenton and Sweeney were targeted only because they were police officers, he said, "and it's quite frankly a miracle that she's alive."

Metz -- who had worked with Antonio Terry, the last Seattle officer shot to death, in 1994 -- said he was struck by his officer's dedication when driving home about 5 a.m. Sunday.

Unlike some businesses that can shut down when a tragedy occurs, Metz said he heard Seattle police responding to fight disturbances and traffic stops on a typically busy Halloween night without having a long period to grieve or even process what had happened to their comrades.

"They continued to do the work that they do and they continue to give 110 percent to this community," he said. "And I just want the citizens of this city to know that they have the best police department in the nation, the finest officers that are out there.

"And despite what happens they're going to continue to deliver the best service possible."
Casey McNerthney can be reached at 206-448-8220 or caseymcnerthney@seattlepi.com.

Couple's day of joy ruined by thief

By DENISE WHITAKER
KOMO-TV STAFF

A couple's day of joy -- the birth of their baby -- was spoiled by a thief who broke into their truck while they were inside the hospital welcoming their son into the world.

And now the couple explains that they have to deal with a lot more than just a break-in.

Oct. 21 dawned as a wonderful day for Justin and Kayleena Bushnell, as their son Brian was born at Tacoma General Hospital.

"Delivery went good, long labor," Justin says.

After Brian was born, Justin went out to the parking deck to bring some things in from their truck. He could hardly believe what he saw.

"Took me a while to figure out what was going on," he says. "You know, I was kind of shocked that everything was gone."

"All her clothes were gone, and some of my clothes were gone," he says.

Kayleena adds, "Diaper bag with all of his stuff (was stolen). I had a breast pump given to me by a family member."

Kayleena and Justin had packed ahead to be away from home for a month -- including clothing and toys for baby Brian -- because doctors already knew baby Brian had health problems.

Kayleena explains, "He has an underdeveloped left ventricle in his heart."

Doctors say Brian needs at least three heart surgeries.

"I was pretty angry, you know," Justin says. "You know, obviously you're not at a hospital for any good reasons."

And just when Brian thought it couldn't get any worse, he made another discovery.

"Realized that some of my pay stubs with my social security number and stuff were missing," he says.

So while his son lay in intensive care, Justin said he spent an entire day making phone calls to try to protect his identity.

"I feel violated," he says.

Co-workers and family members immediately pitched in to replace some of what the couple lost.

"Just kind of wrong timing," Kayleena says.

Despite all they've been through, Kayleena and Justin keep a positive attitude as they stay at their son's side through surgery.

Later this week, baby Brian is headed into surgery at Seattle Children's Hospital.