Teen suspect in Seattle student slayings was under court supervision when murders occurred

A 15-year-old accused of killing two students near Seattle’s Rainier Beach High School in January was already under court supervision in a prior firearm case at the time of the murders. Now, a judge must decide if the case will continue in juvenile or adult court.

At a hearing, Judge Tanya Thorpe ordered the teen held in secure detention, finding probable cause for two counts of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm, and ruling he poses a threat to community safety.

The suspect is charged in the January 30 slayings of 18-year-old Tyjon Malik Stewart and 17-year-old Traveiah Houfmuse, who were shot at the doors of a Metro bus on South Henderson Street near Rainier Avenue South, just steps from Rainier Beach High School.

King County Prosecutors told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI that the shooting was a targeted ambush. Police say the suspect rode a Metro bus before attacking the victims as the bus stopped. While cameras on that bus were not working, a second Metro bus approaching the stop captured the shooting on its front-facing camera. Authorities then tracked the suspect through surveillance footage from the school, a nearby tiny home village, and surrounding buildings. Minutes after the shooting, a home security camera allegedly recorded the teen removing a black mask. An anonymous tip days later identified the suspect, according to the arrest report.

Investigators discovered the teen had been under court supervision stemming from a prior Renton case involving a firearm. In that incident last summer at Gene Coulon Park, police detained the teen and recovered a 9mm handgun during a stop-and-frisk.

Court records show the teen sought, and was granted, a deferred disposition, a form of supervision available to qualifying juveniles, despite prosecutors opposing the request. “The prosecutor did not join in the request,” the prosecutor’s office said. “The judge decided to defer the disposition and placed him on supervision after considering relevant statutory factors.”

That supervision was still active when prosecutors allege the teen carried out the Rainier Beach killings. Additional evidence cited by police includes identification by a school safety officer in Renton after reviewing surveillance images, school records showing the teen missed the entire week following the shooting, and cellphone data placing him near Rainier Beach High School at the time of the attack.

The teen now faces two counts of first-degree murder with firearm enhancements, along with unlawful possession of a firearm. Despite the severity of the charges, the case is not automatically transferred to adult court. Under Washington law, only 16- and 17-year-olds charged with first-degree murder are automatically tried as adults. Because the suspect was 15 at the time of the alleged crimes, though he turned 16 last week, a judge must decide.

King County prosecutors have filed a motion requesting a “decline hearing,” the legal process used to determine whether a case should be moved out of juvenile court. That decision, expected to take months, will be made after arguments from both sides. An arraignment will not occur until after the court decides where the case will be tried. Even if the case is transferred to adult court, a conviction would not guarantee an adult sentence. Judges retain discretion to impose penalties within juvenile guidelines.

For now, the teen remains in secure juvenile detention. His next hearing is scheduled for May 20 at the Clark Child and Family Justice Center.