Gang-affiliated teen kidnaps 14-year-old, ties him to tree, disembowels him 2 weeks after Seattle judge released suspect from custody: prosecutors

Millorz Canales, 17, of Snohomish County, has been charged with first-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping, and robbery. He has been accused of luring the victim to Lions Park on December 17, repeatedly stabbing him, cutting out his organs, and leaving the victim to die while hanging from a tree, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Snohomish County Prosecutors Office.

Prosecutors also charged his alleged co-accomplice Hayden Lusebrink, 17, of Snohomish County, with the same charges. The 14-year-old victim was able to untie himself and ran to the nearest house, where the homeowner called 911, Komo News reported.

Court records show that Canales was released from custody by King County juvenile court judge Veronica Galvan on December 2, only two weeks before the Everett attack. Canales was being held in juvenile detention on felony charges for a robbery in Seattle that occurred on November 15. Prosecutors asked for him to be held in custody awaiting trial, but Judge Galvan denied the state's request and released Canales to home monitoring. The defendant allegedly went on to immediately reoffend.

Snohomish County prosecutors urged the judge to hold Canales on $1 million bail. Both Canales and Lusebrink have been charged as adults and are alleged to have gang affiliations.

Prosecutors argued in the probable cause affidavit that Canales "is a danger to the community. His violence has escalated and only two weeks from being released on a Seattle robbery he is alleged to have committed this offense. His release would endanger the lives of the victim, witnesses in this case and rival gang members. These allegations are heinous in nature and defendant left a 14 year old disemboweled hanging from a tree to die after carving an N in his chest to represent his gang affiliation in rival gang territory."

"There is a significant risk that if released he would seek to intimidate or commit violence against witnesses. The safety at the public is at a great risk if he were released," the court filing states.

Snohomish County prosecutors said in court documents that Canales could be seen photographed with the victim's stolen items. Courtesy: Komo News

On November 15, Canales was arrested on robbery charges in Seattle. He was released from custody December 2 despite the state's objection. King County prosecutors alleged that Canales, along with his suspected gang members, approached the robbery victims and asked if they were gang affiliated. The suspect allegedly threatened to shoot the victims if they didn't hand over their property, which incuded shoes, jewelry, and chicken. Canales was identified by the victims in a show-up, according to court documents.

On June 10, 2022, Canales was arrested by King County Sheriffs deputies on burglarly charges. He was convicted of third-degree theft and first-degree criminal trespass. Canales was given a deffered sentence and community service. On May 3, 2023, Canales was arrested for obstruction and pleaded guilty on September 12, 2023. He was sentenced to probabtion with conditions. Canales violated probation and was given a sanction of 14 days detention with credit for 7 day on July 12, 2024. He also has referrals out of Thurston County for first-degree robbery stemming from an October 2023 incident, court records show.

Casey McNerthney, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecutor's Office, said his office had asked the court to hold Canales in secured detention awaiting trial, but the judge denied the request and "put him on electronic home monitoring."

The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs recently reported a considerable increase in juvenile arrests and crime in the state, with 7,730 juvenile arrests in 2023 compared to 4,625 arrests in 2021, a 67 percent increase.

McNerthney discussed the uptick in youth crime, saying, "It is a problem that's happening across the state, and certainly across western Washington. As to why exactly it happens, I don't think it's a simple answer."

"I think what this shows is exactly why prosecutors go to court and say that there's got to be people held in secured detention, even when that's not popular," McNerthney told the network.