Convicted murderer out on supervised release arrested after being found asleep with gun in Seattle hotel lobby

Seattle police arrested a violent murderer, who was on active Department of Corrections (DOC) supervision for Second-Degree Murder, after finding him asleep and possibly intoxicated in a South Lake Union hotel lobby with a handgun sticking out of his waistband and a bottle of liquor beside him.

According to the police report and charging documents obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, on November 13, hotel staff reported the armed man to authorities and officers were dispatched around 8:43 am to the Level Hotel on Boren Avenue North, where employees said a man was lying on a lobby couch “sleeping and possibly intoxicated,” with a gun clearly visible and a bottle of liquor next to him.

Responding officers developed a tactical plan before entering the hotel and safely contacting the suspect. Police took him into custody without incident. They recovered a Rock Island Armory .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun loaded with six rounds. The firearm had no visible serial number. The suspect later told officers he carried the gun for protection because of earlier gang-related violence, but he was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his felony convictions and DOC supervision status.

The man, identified as 38-year-old Barry Lee Saunders Jr., has an extensive criminal history, including convictions for Murder in the Second Degree and Assault in the Second Degree in 2008, as well as Theft in the Third Degree in 2002. Both violent felony convictions carried firearm enhancements, resulting in a 17-year prison sentence. Court records also show Saunders has accumulated multiple warrants over the years, including two from Superior Court and six for misdemeanors. At the time of the arrest, Saunders was actively being supervised by the Department of Corrections for his murder conviction, making firearm possession a direct violation of his supervised release.

Prosecutors filed a charge of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm in the First Degree on November 17, emphasizing Saunders’ repeated history of violence and the risks associated with an armed, intoxicated individual with a prior murder conviction inside a public building. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office requested that the court maintain bail at $25,000, arguing that Saunders’ disregard for firearm prohibitions and the circumstances of his arrest demonstrated a continued threat to community safety.

Police booked Saunders into the King County Jail for firearms violations, and detectives with the Gun Violence Reduction Unit have been assigned to the case as the investigation continues. His next court appearance, an arraignment where he will enter an initial plea, is scheduled for 8:30 am on Thursday, December 11, in the King County Courthouse.