TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Former NBA star Shawn Kemp was sentenced Friday to 30 days of electronic home monitoring for shooting at two men inside a vehicle in a Washington state mall parking lot.
Kemp must begin home monitoring within two weeks, The Seattle Times reported. He must also serve one year of state Department of Corrections supervision and complete 240 hours of community service.
Prosecutors had recommended the six-time NBA All-Star be sentenced to nine months in jail, a year of supervision and pay restitution.
Judge Michael Schwartz of Pierce County Superior Court found the circumstances surrounding the crime warranted a lesser sentence, allowing Kemp to avoid incarceration.
Kemp looked at the ceiling and blew a huff of air when Schwartz announced the sentence. He then repeatedly made the sign of the cross with his hand.
Kemp, who played for the Seattle SuperSonics from 1989 to 1997, pleaded guilty to an assault charge in May as part of a plea agreement.
No one was hurt in the March 2023 shooting.
Kemp said he acted in self-defense and returned fire after one of the men shot at him from inside their Toyota 4Runner vehicle.
The defense also claimed that the two men Kemp shot at provoked the shooting by stealing Kemp’s truck, his cellphone and memorabilia in Seattle. The judge agreed.
Using a phone-tracking app, Kemp located and briefly tried to talk to the driver of the 4Runner that was circling a casino parking lot, according to the trial brief. The men in the vehicle afterward dumped some of Kemp’s belongings but hung on to the phone, the brief says.
Kemp later saw his phone was near the Tacoma Mall. He drove there, spotted the same 4Runner and “expressed his understandable frustration” with the driver, according to the brief. The man in the back seat “fired off a round from a handgun at Mr. Kemp. Mr. Kemp returned fire and attempted to disable the Toyota. It did not work,” the document said.
The 4Runner fled, and when the vehicle was found abandoned days later, an empty holster was found inside but there was no gun, according to court documents.
After the hearing, Kemp said in an interview that “the last three years have been tough.” He said he plans to be an advocate against gun violence, especially among youth.
“Think twice,” he said. “Think twice when you get mad. Think twice when you get a little upset.”
Several people sent letters of support to the court on Kemp’s behalf. About 30 people attended the hearing, including his pastor and former NFL star Marshawn Lynch.
Kemp debuted in the NBA during the 1989-90 season as a 20-year-old who had never played college basketball. He also played for Cleveland, Portland and Orlando and was known for his high-flying dunks.
TACOMA, Wash. – The FBI says 15 people have now been arrested, including members of a violent Tacoma street gang as part of a massive fentanyl trafficking bust in Pierce County. The arrests follow an 18-month investigation into a drug ring, allegedly run by some members of the Knoccout Crips, according to the FBI.
But, it wasn’t just male gang members who were involved. The FBI says the drugs were flowing into Tacoma with the help of a group of jet-setting women.
The backstory:
The FBI says for that group of women who were flying through Sea-Tac, it wasn’t just clothes and toiletries that they stuffed in their bags.
Agents say their bags were bulging with hundreds of fentanyl pills or hefty pounds of powder as they made their way through the airport. They say the drugs were hidden specifically in checked bags in order to bypass security.
“They were definitely aware this was an operation and were taking steps to protect it,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Seattle field office.
Herrington says the checked bags were carefully packaged for transport.
“To try to evade and defeat those security measures,” he said. Using methods “such as shrink-wrapping the luggage.”
The women who were transporting the bags also didn’t forget the perfume, as the FBI says there was a generous amount used on the bags themselves.
“Apparently they were doused heavily in perfume to try to mask odors,” said Herrington.
“Over the last 18 months, law enforcement carefully tracked the activities of this drug trafficking ring, seizing kilogram quantities of fentanyl pills and powder from checked luggage at Sea-Tac airport,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Teal LuthyMiller.
Agents called it a courier network, with the women acting as “drug mules” flying to Phoenix to pick up the drugs to bring back to Tacoma. In just two months, Herrington said they received nearly 100 pounds.
“I believe the 80 pounds was spread across Sea-Tac and Baltimore,” said Herrington.
Over the last 36 hours, law enforcement said officers and agents also seized a long list of drugs during the take-down.
“Gang activity has no place in our community,” said Tacoma Police Chief Patti Jackson.
“The investigation was initiated in response to a string of homicides and other violent acts that were attributed to the gang,” said Colin Jackson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations in Seattle.
FBI agents say 23 weapons were also seized, some reported as stolen.
“Some of these individuals are off the street, no longer able to engage in the assaults, the drive-by shootings and some of the other violence they were engaged in to protect their drug trade,” said Herrington.
The bust was part of an operation called “Summer Heat” targeting violent offenses.
More than 100 officers were involved in Wednesday’s bust, according to the FBI.
The Source: Information in this story came from the FBI, Acting United States Attorney Teal Luthy Miller, Tacoma Police and Homeland Security Investigations.
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TACOMA, Wash. – The upcoming closure of a Fred Meyer store in Tacoma will impact more than 200 employees and has left residents concerned that they will be living in a food desert.
What we know:
The closure on Pacific Avenue has alarmed some members of the community. Neighborhood leaders have scheduled a town hall meeting to discuss the loss in late August.
On a Sunday afternoon, you can find the South End Fred Meyer in Tacoma pretty packed as people stock up for the week.
However, that Sunday ritual will soon be a thing of the past at the store located at 72nd Ave and Pacific Ave. Parent company Kroger announced a group of nationwide closures in June, which will include the store at 72nd and Pacific Avenue.
Tacoma City Councilmember Joe Bushnell says it’s part of a larger company-wide decision to run more efficiently and ensure the long-term health of their business.
“I want to express my disappointment regarding the news of the upcoming closure of our local Pacific Fred Meyer store. For years, this store has been more than just a place to shop; it has been a community hub, a vital source of groceries and prescriptions, and an employer for many of our residents.
We have been in communication with Kroger, the parent company, and we understand this was a difficult decision for them, and that this closure is part of a larger company-wide decision to run more efficiently and ensure the long-term health of their business.”
In the wake of that announcement, thousands signed the change.org petition, which calls for leaders to keep the store or provide for a replacement. It reads, “This store is a lifeline in a neighborhood already recognized by public health officials as a food desert — an area where people have limited access to affordable, fresh, and nutritious food.”
“That community is losing a vital grocery store. A lot of those shoppers aren’t going to have access to coming to a different Fred Meyer,” said Aria Joslyn, member of UFCW 367, Fred Meyer cashier.
Joslyn, who used to work at the store that is closing, says the impact on workers is also a concern.
A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filing with the state says that permanent layoffs are slated for September 27th with an impact on 226 workers.
“It’s super disappointing. I worked at that store for a long time, and the people there, it’s a great crew there,” said Joslyn.
Kroger has said it is offering its workers the opportunity to transfer. However, Joslyn says there are worries about hours.
“Bringing on new employees at each of the stores is just going to spread the hours thinner and leave more people in unstable employment situations,” says Joslyn.
To talk about concerns, the South End Neighborhood Council has planned a town hall meeting on Thursday, August 28th.
An online post states, “The South End Fred Meyer is closing—and the impacts on food access, jobs, and our community will be real. Let’s talk about it, plan for the future, and make sure our neighborhood is heard.”
That meeting is scheduled from 6-7:30 p.m.
The Source: Information in this story came from Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification and original FOX 13 Seattle interviews.
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Tacoma PD charges wrong man following woman’s attack
Roughly four days after a Tacoma woman ended things with her boyfriend, Michael Wiltfong the terrorizing had begun: text messages threatening to kill her and words like hoe and slut written on her windows. To cap things off, she said Wiltfong showed up the night of March 11 yelling, “I’m gonna beat your ass” at a friend that was inside her home.
SEATTLE – Roughly four days after a Tacoma woman ended things with her boyfriend, Michael Wiltfong, the terrorizing had begun: text messages threatening to kill her and words like hoe and slut written on her windows.
To cap things off, she said Wiltfong showed up the night of March 11 yelling, “I’m gonna beat your ass” at a friend that was inside her home.
The victim, we’ll call her Amber to protect her identity, knew it was her ex-boyfriend. In fact, she saw him and was eventually pushed down to the ground by him, according to a police report filed by Tacoma police.
The night of March 11, she went to investigate sounds coming from outside of her Tacoma apartment. She told police that Wiltfong rushed past her, making it inside the home and locking her out.
Police would later report that she was injured when they arrived. Wiltfong had run off, but not before knocking her to the concrete as he exited her apartment, causing her an injury to her ankle. She reported it as the third run-in with Wiltfong since the break-up after four months of dating.
It wasn’t even the first time the police had been called that day.
This also wasn’t Wiltfong’s first run-in with the police. In fact, he has a long criminal history. A cursory search of his name leads to a sex offender registry with entries for both rape and failure to register as a sex offender. The registry details that Wiltfong, 38, goes by the street name “Monster” and has a face tattoo to identify him.
Which is why it came as a shock when another man living roughly 25 miles away in Buckley received a court summons from the Tacoma City Attorney’s Office.
When the wrong man was told he’d need to hire an attorney and fight the case in court, he turned to FOX 13 Seattle. It took a few phone calls, and a short drive to track down the victim.
Upon seeing the picture of the man Tacoma’s city attorney had charged, she said, “How can they mess that up? Wow.”
Same name, different man
Robert Lee Wiltfong, 50, is roughly the same height and weight as the suspect in the Tacoma Police investigation. However, he’s 10+ years older than Amber’s ex-boyfriend and is missing the telltale face tattoo that is described in at least one of the police reports associated with the incident.
The man, who police and lawyers intended to charge, is Robert Michael Wiltfong, a 38-year-old transient man who has previously been convicted of rape among other crimes.
For the innocent Wiltfong, being accused of a crime was bad. When he learned who he shared a name with, and what type of behavior he was being linked to it felt like a nightmare.
“It hurts, it’s wrong … it’s just not fair,” said the innocent Wiltfong.
Wiltfong had previous drug run-ins with police when he was a young man. He and his wife spent a lifetime putting their lives on track. He hadn’t interacted with police for a criminal offense in more than 20 years.
Wiltfong and his wife assumed the court envelope would be tied to previous fines they had paid for drug crimes from their younger years. Courts across Washington are currently in the process of returning funds paid tied to misdemeanor drug crimes – instead of a settlement, they were floored to find that the innocent Wiltfong was accused of a months-long relationship with a woman, that ended in criminal charges. He was due in court this month.
When he and his wife did some sleuthing and realized that another Robert Wiltfong existed, they made calls to everyone they could at the courthouse in an attempt to fix the problem. They had two major concerns: the cost of fighting the case and the concern that this could show up in his background for years to come.
However, after calls and pleas for help, they were told they’d have to miss work, and appear in court to fix the problem created by a shoddily written police report, and the charges that followed without anyone ever interacting with him before the summons.
“I realize they have a tough job to do,” said Wiltfong. “I know mistakes can happen, but when somebody makes all the effort to prove their innocence, alibis, photographs, statements, and you still have to come down and miss work and hire a lawyer, that’s pretty disappointing.”
Three separate police reports were written on March 11 describing an event where “Monster” harassed and injured his ex-girlfriend. Each was filed by a separate officer. Two correctly listed that the suspect was a transient but included all the biographical information of the innocent Wiltfong, while a third ID’d the suspect as “Monster” but included all biographical information and the address of the innocent Wiltfong.
Those mistakes were carried over next by the Tacoma City Attorney’s Office, demanding the innocent Wiltfong to face an Assault 4th Degree charge before a judge on April 17.
“Why couldn’t they do a little due diligence and look through the paperwork one more time to discover these things that [FOX 13 Seattle] was able to discover,” asked the innocent Wiltfong.
“If we have to go to court that’s a days loss of wages for both of us,” his wife, Megan Wiltfong said. “If we have to retain a lawyer that’s just more financial strain, and then there is the emotional side of things.”
Victim: That’s not him
The victim, who we are calling Amber to prevent her real name from being revealed, was quick to note: the pictures of the man facing charges are not the man who assaulted her. She would know, she dated him for four months prior to the alleged attack.
“It’s unfortunate,” she said. “I would be freaking out if I was in his shoes.”
Amber went through a number of photos and identified Robert Michael Wiltfong, the man with a Monster energy drink tattoo under his right eye, as the man that attacked her multiple times.
After speaking with FOX 13 Seattle she even offered to get in contact with the falsely accused man, or investigators to ensure he didn’t face any penalties for the actions of another man.
“I don’t want this guy to pay for what [Robert Michael Wiltfong] has done,” she said. “It’s not fair. You know what I mean?”
Investigators react
After FOX 13 reached out to the Tacoma Police Department and the Tacoma City Attorney’s Office, Robert Lee Wiltfong’s court date was moved up without his knowledge. He was only notified after the charges had been dropped.
Wiltfong and his wife were contacted by a court clerk, who shared an order. It noted in red: “Charge to be removed from defendant’s record.”
As of this writing, no one from the city attorney’s office has responded to FOX 13 Seattle.
However, a Tacoma Police public information officer admitted that the wrong name was put into the police reports. She likened their software to Outlook email, and when officers input information it will often populate information. Given the uncommon name “Robert Wiltfong,” it appears that no one noticed that there was more than one person with that name.
It is not clear how, or why, the name of Robert who had no connection with the victim and no run-ins with the law in two decades, auto-filled. However, the public information officers noted that a detective has since been assigned to the case to investigate what went wrong. In the meantime, Robert Michael Wiltfong, aka Monster, has since been charged with assault.
“It’s definitely not an easy situation,” said the spokesperson by phone. “I feel for the man whose identity was mistaken, most certainly.”
As for Robert who should never have faced the charges, he told FOX 13 Seattle that the whole ordeal has been confusing. His wife said she is simply thankful that someone finally listened.
“I cannot express how thankful I am,” said Megan Wiltfong. “Nobody else would hear us, or help us. It’s one of those stories you tell people and they don’t believe you because this is not supposed to happen.
As Tacoma detectives investigate what went wrong, FOX 13 will keep tabs on the investigation and update viewers when new information becomes available.
Walgreens closing in Tacoma could mean longer waits at other pharmacies
Picking up prescriptions for people living near Pacific Avenue and 56th Street in Tacoma is about to get a little harder. Walgreens will be closing 150 stores nationwide in 2024, and the store on 56th Street is one of them.
TACOMA, Wash. – Picking up prescriptions for people living near Pacific Avenue and 56th Street in Tacoma is about to get a little harder. Walgreens will be closing 150 stores nationwide in 2024, and the store on 56th Street is one of them.
“I hate that it’s closing. We’ve come here for our medication for a while,” said customer Issac Juma.
Juma is a long-time customer at Walgreens at 5602 Pacific Avenue, where closure signs are now posted at the entrance. He says it’s unfortunate that the location is shutting down.
“I’ve been in this area for a long, long time, and it’s just sad to see it go,” said Juma.
Several customers are concerned that the closure will mean a longer commute to get their medications, and longer lines since those impacted need to find a new pharmacy.
The nearest two Walgreens stores sit at 37th Street and Pacific and 84th and Pacific; about 1.3 miles and 1.8 miles away, respectively.
“You will have to drive further to get to a store because it will be further away,” said Kurt, a resident of Tacoma.
FOX 13 reached out to Walgreens for comment. A spokesperson confirmed that the store will close on April 10.
In the Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) Q 1 Earnings Call, the company cited, “Challenging macroeconomic conditions and an anticipated slow start to the cough, cold, flu season contributed to a weaker retail performance year-on-year” as one reason for the closures.
Other main reasons for the closures were identified as a weaker respiratory season, lower attachment sales, and consumers pulling back on discretionary spending.
Although a local employee we spoke to also cited earnings as a reason for closure, some who live in the area believe something else could be playing a role.
“I’m a believer that crime is a big cause here,” said Juma.
Many residents think that crime is forcing many stores in the area to close. While FOX 13 crews were reporting at the Walgreens on 56th Street on Monday, a shooting took place across the street around 6 pm. Investigators were still gathering evidence in the O’Reilly Auto Parts parking area around 8:30 pm.
A witness stated that it didn’t appear anyone was injured, but the store shuttered early and there was damage to a pane of glass on the building.
“I think it’s a systemic problem with our whole country right now, like in San Francisco… they are losing stores there,” said Kurt.
FOX 13 spoke with employees at the nearby Lincoln Pharmacy. They said that they expect that some of the customers from the shuttered Walgreens might come there to fill prescriptions instead. They have already taken on a large number of customers due to pharmacy closures in the Tacoma area.
“I can see lines will get bigger because when you have fewer places to go, lines are going to get bigger,” said Juma.
In Washington, there are currently 132 Walgreens locations operating. A spokesperson for the company says the only store currently announced for closure in the state is the location off 56th Street and Pacific Ave in Tacoma.
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said in a written statement Wednesday that he failed to anticipate the community’s strong objections to the hiring of Deputy Christopher Burbank, which Sanders said included death threats to Burbank’s family. Burbank resigned effective immediately, Sanders said.
Christopher “Shane” Burbank
Brian Hayes/The News Tribune via AP
Burbank and two other officers — Timothy Rankine and Matthew Collins — were each cleared of criminal charges by a Pierce County jury last December in the death of Ellis, an unarmed Black man who was shocked, beaten and hog-tied facedown on a sidewalk as he pleaded for breath.
Rankine was charged with manslaughter, while Collins and Burbank were charged with manslaughter and second-degree murder. Their attorneys argued that Ellis died from a lethal amount of methamphetamine as well as a heart condition, not from the officers’ actions. The Pierce County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide and said it was caused by a lack of oxygen during the physical restraint.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Seattle is still investigating and could bring prosecutions for federal civil rights violations. A wrongful death lawsuit against Tacoma is pending.
“When I made the decision to hire Deputy Burbank, I failed to consider the greater community impact and instead made the decision based on business needs to remedy TCSO’s staffing crisis,” Sanders wrote. “Furthermore, I entirely misjudged community perception on the investigation and jury process that Deputy Burbank completed. I recognize the harm this has caused to marginalized communities, and I was wrong.”
Among those who criticized the hiring decision was Matthew Ericksen, an attorney for Ellis’ family, who said in an email Tuesday he would be scared if he lived in Thurston County. He noted that video evidence showed Burbank using his Taser on Ellis three times, including while another officer was choking him.
On Wednesday, Ericksen said the family was relieved Burbank had resigned. Between the outpouring of criticism over the hiring and the Washington Legislature’s decision this year to bar police from hog-tying suspects — a legal change made in response to Ellis’ death — the family has more faith that he won’t be forgotten, Ericksen said.
“It’s obvious that the public still remembers Manny and the horrific things that happened to him,” Ericksen said. “Manny’s death was 100% preventable, and the people of Washington know it.”
Like many law enforcement agencies nationwide, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office has struggled with understaffing; the Facebook post announcing the hire noted that Burbank would “provide immediate relief in our patrol division.”
The sheriff responded to criticism of the hire on Tuesday by saying Burbank had undergone a two-month background check, including a polygraph. Sanders stressed that his office has strived to improve its crisis response by incorporating mental health co-responders, adding that dashboard and body-worn cameras help provide transparency.
But by Wednesday it became clear that the hiring wasn’t going to work out, and Sanders apologized.
“Trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets,” he wrote. “For those who have lost confidence in me, or what we’re trying to accomplish at TCSO, I apologize for letting you down.”
A photo of Manny Ellis is displayed during the trial of three Tacoma police officers in the killing of Ellis at Pierce County Superior Court, Dec. 11, 2023, in Tacoma, Wash.
Brian Hayes / The News Tribune via AP
Ellis, 33, was walking home with doughnuts from a 7-Eleven in Tacoma, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Seattle, on March 3, 2020, when he passed a patrol car stopped at a red light, with Collins and Burbank inside.
The officers claimed they saw Ellis try to open the door of a passing car at the intersection, and he became aggressive when they tried to question him about it. Collins testified that Ellis demonstrated “superhuman strength” by lifting Collins off the ground and throwing him through the air.
But three witnesses testified they saw no such thing. After what appeared to be a brief conversation between Ellis and the officers — who are both white — Burbank, in the passenger seat, threw open his door, knocking Ellis down, they said. Rankine, who arrived after Ellis was already handcuffed face-down, knelt on his upper back.
The witnesses — one of whom yelled for the officers to stop attacking Ellis — and a doorbell surveillance camera captured video of parts of the encounter. The video showed Ellis with his hands up in a surrender position as Burbank shot a Taser at his chest and Collins wrapped an arm around his neck from behind.
His death came nearly three months before George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police would spark an international outcry against police brutality.
The Tacoma Police Department found that the officers did not violate its use-of-force policy as it was then written — it had been subsequently updated — and the three officers were each paid $500,000 to resign.
Pierce County, which is home to Tacoma, settled its portion of a federal wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family for $4 million. The case is still pending against the city.
The trial was the first under a five-year-old state law designed to make it easier to prosecute police accused of wrongfully using deadly force.
SEATTLE (AP) — A former Tacoma police officer who was hired as a sheriff’s deputy in a neighboring county — despite his involvement in the violent fatal arrest of Manuel Ellis in 2020 — has resigned his new job after just two days.
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said in a written statement Wednesday that he failed to anticipate the community’s strong objections to the hiring of Deputy Christopher Burbank, which Sanders said included death threats to Burbank’s family. Burbank resigned effective immediately, Sanders said.
Burbank and two other officers — Timothy Rankine and Matthew Collins — were each cleared of criminal charges by a Pierce County jury last December in the death of Ellis, an unarmed Black man who was shocked, beaten and hog-tied facedown on a sidewalk as he pleaded for breath.
Rankine was charged with manslaughter, while Collins and Burbank were charged with manslaughter and second-degree murder. Their attorneys argued that Ellis died from a lethal amount of methamphetamine as well as a heart condition, not from the officers’ actions. The Pierce County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide and said it was caused by a lack of oxygen during the physical restraint.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Seattle is still investigating and could bring prosecutions for federal civil rights violations. A wrongful death lawsuit against Tacoma is pending.
“When I made the decision to hire Deputy Burbank, I failed to consider the greater community impact and instead made the decision based on business needs to remedy TCSO’s staffing crisis,” Sanders wrote. “Furthermore, I entirely misjudged community perception on the investigation and jury process that Deputy Burbank completed. I recognize the harm this has caused to marginalized communities, and I was wrong.”
Among those who criticized the hiring decision was Matthew Ericksen, an attorney for Ellis’ family, who said in an email Tuesday he would be scared if he lived in Thurston County. He noted that video evidence showed Burbank using his Taser on Ellis three times, including while another officer was choking him.
On Wednesday, Ericksen said the family was relieved Burbank had resigned. Between the outpouring of criticism over the hiring and the Washington Legislature’s decision this year to bar police from hog-tying suspects — a legal change made in response to Ellis’ death — the family has more faith that he won’t be forgotten, Ericksen said.
“It’s obvious that the public still remembers Manny and the horrific things that happened to him,” Ericksen said. “Manny’s death was 100% preventable, and the people of Washington know it.”
Like many law enforcement agencies nationwide, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office has struggled with understaffing; the Facebook post announcing the hire noted that Burbank would “provide immediate relief in our patrol division.”
The sheriff responded to criticism of the hire on Tuesday by saying Burbank had undergone a two-month background check, including a polygraph. Sanders stressed that his office has strived to improve its crisis response by incorporating mental health co-responders, adding that dashboard and body-worn cameras help provide transparency.
But by Wednesday it became clear that the hiring wasn’t going to work out, and Sanders apologized.
“Trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets,” he wrote. “For those who have lost confidence in me, or what we’re trying to accomplish at TCSO, I apologize for letting you down.”
Ellis, 33, was walking home with doughnuts from a 7-Eleven in Tacoma, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Seattle, on March 3, 2020, when he passed a patrol car stopped at a red light, with Collins and Burbank inside.
The officers claimed they saw Ellis try to open the door of a passing car at the intersection, and he became aggressive when they tried to question him about it. Collins testified that Ellis demonstrated “superhuman strength” by lifting Collins off the ground and throwing him through the air.
But three witnesses testified they saw no such thing. After what appeared to be a brief conversation between Ellis and the officers — who are both white — Burbank, in the passenger seat, threw open his door, knocking Ellis down, they said. Rankine, who arrived after Ellis was already handcuffed face-down, knelt on his upper back.
The witnesses — one of whom yelled for the officers to stop attacking Ellis — and a doorbell surveillance camera captured video of parts of the encounter. The video showed Ellis with his hands up in a surrender position as Burbank shot a Taser at his chest and Collins wrapped an arm around his neck from behind.
His death came nearly three months before George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police would spark an international outcry against police brutality.
The Tacoma Police Department found that the officers did not violate its use-of-force policy as it was then written — it had been subsequently updated — and the three officers were each paid $500,000 to resign.
Pierce County, which is home to Tacoma, settled its portion of a federal wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family for $4 million. The case is still pending against the city.
The trial was the first under a five-year-old state law designed to make it easier to prosecute police accused of wrongfully using deadly force.
A suspect was arrested in San Francisco weeks after he allegedly attacked a random woman at point defiance park.
TACOMA, Wash. – The Tacoma Police Department says they have a suspect in custody for a stabbing that happened in Point Defiance Park last month.
On February 10, a woman was stabbed multiple times by an unknown man in the park. Bystanders stepped in and caused the suspect to run away.
Tacoma Police were unable to locate the suspect after the stabbing, and later released a sketch of the suspect on social media.
Police initially said the stabbing appeared to be a random attack.
After releasing the sketch, detectives learned the identity of the suspect, saying he fled Washington to Atlanta, Georgia.
After a Tacoma detective flew to Atlanta, police learned that the suspect was then trying to flee the United States.
Tacoma Police say the San Francisco Police Department and the San Francisco Office of the Federal Marshall’s Fugitive Task Force intercepted the suspect as he was trying to leave the country.
The suspect is now being held in a California correctional facility, awaiting extradition to Washington state.
Tacoma Police say more details could become available in the coming days, but the investigation is still ongoing.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
FILE IMAGE – The interior of a Hyundai Motor Co. Santa Fe SUV is seen during a launch event for the updated vehicle in Goyang, South Korea, on Feb. 21, 2018.((SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images))
TACOMA, Wash. – Hyundai is providing free anti-theft upgrades at local dealers across Western Washington.
Hyundais and Kias have featured in manyheadlineslately, owing to securityquirks — like push-button ignitions — that allow them to be easily stolen and used in smash-and-grab robberies around the region. FOX 13 News has extensively covered the ‘Kia Boyz’ TikTok trend that explained how to steal older-model Hyundais and Kias using only a USB drive.
Since then, we have seen a spate of smash-and-grabs mostly involving stolen Kias and Hyundais.
If your car qualifies, you can visit one of four dealers to get your free upgrade. There are no appointments or registration required. Technicians will complete the software upgrade in less than 30 minutes.
A young woman vanishes. Eerie surveillance video captures a man in a hat. Investigators learn the two are linked by a secret. “48 Hours” contributor Natalie Morales reports.
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Lawyers for three Washington state police officers charged in the 2020 death of a Black man told the jury Tuesday that his death was the result of drug use, not excessive force that included officers choking, shocking and holding him facedown.
Manuel Ellis was addicted to methamphetamine, and it caused him to be violent, unpredictable, and paranoid, said Wayne Fricke, who represents Tacoma police Officer Christopher Burbank.
“This is a situation where he created his own death,” Fricke said during closing arguments in the officers’ nine-week trial on murder and manslaughter charges. “It was his behavior that forced the officers to use force against him because he created a situation that required them to act.”
Fricke’s remarks followed closing arguments by special prosecutor Patty Eakes, who urged the jury to compare the officers’ statements with videos and witness testimony to determine the officers’ credibility. Eakes is prosecuting the case on behalf of the Washington Attorney General’s Office.
Ellis, who repeatedly told the officers, “Can’t breathe, sir,” died March 3, 2020, nearly three months before George Floyd’s death would spark an international outcry against police brutality. This is the first trial of officers charged in a suspect’s death since voters approved a measure in 2018 removing a requirement that prosecutors must prove police acted with malice.
An undated photo of Manuel Ellis, who died in Tacoma police custody on March 3, 2020.
KIRO-TV
Two of the Tacoma, Washington, officers – Burbank, 38, and Matthew Collins, 40 – were charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. Timothy Rankine, 34, is charged with manslaughter.
CBS affiliate KIRO-TV reported that Collins took the stand last week to defend his actions and claimed he never heard three crucial words.
“I never heard him say I can’t breathe. Nope,” said Collins.
But it’s something responding Officer Rankine remembered differently in his defense, KIRO-TV reported.
“I remember he was bucking around,” recalled Rankine. “He said I can’t breathe but in a very calm, just everyday voice.”
Collins’ lawyer, Jared Ausserer, also gave his closing arguments on Tuesday. Rankine’s lawyer was expected to do so Wednesday. The prosecution will then have one more chance to address the jury before it begins deliberations.
“Do you trust the video?”
Eakes played audio clips of the officers’ statements and compared them with video and witness testimony to show that they contradicted each other.
Collins stated that Ellis grabbed him by his vest, lifted him off his feet and threw him into the street like a child, despite the fact that he weighs about 230 pounds with his gear on, Eakes said.
But none of the witnesses saw that happen and it’s not on the videos, she said.
“Is it believable anyway?” Eakes asked. “I suggest to you it’s not. This isn’t a comic book.”
Collins also claimed that, as he held Ellis to the ground, he feared he might be alone in trying to control the suspect because he couldn’t see Burbank nearby. But Eakes played a video and displayed screenshots clearly showing Burbank standing right in front of Collins the whole time.
Burbank made similar claims in his statement to investigators. He said Ellis hit him in the mouth, using “wild strikes,” and claimed Ellis was “assaultive” the entire time.
But the videos show Ellis’ legs never moved while he was on the ground, with Collins on his back, placing him in a chokehold. They also show his hands in the air, with his palms in “a surrender-type position,” Eakes said.
The officers’ statements were contradicted by six witnesses, she said.
“They make Mr. Ellis out to be violent in ways you don’t see on the video,” Eakes said. “Why? They’re justifying the use of force that you can see happened in that video. Do you trust the video? Do you trust what the eyewitnesses say?”
Lawyers for the officers said the videos and witnesses are flawed and the officers acted appropriately.
Witness Sara McDowell, who used her phone to record the early part of the incident, can be heard on the video yelling, “Just arrest him, just arrest him,” Fricke said.
“If there’s nothing to arrest him for, why did she say, ‘Just arrest him?’” Fricke asked. “They know something happened before this video kicked in. And once he began resisting arrest, the officers had every means within their power to make an arrest. When he started fighting that arrest, he was resisting arrest. They have an obligation to get him under control and that’s what they were trying to do.”
Burbank did what he was trained to do and what the facts required him to do, Fricke said.
“No one wanted him to die, but ultimately he died, and that’s sad,” Fricke said. “We don’t compound that tragedy by convicting innocent people of these charges.”
In his closing argument, Collins’ attorney, Ausserer, urged the jury to question the credibility of the witnesses, including McDowell, who made one of the videos.
“If she was so upset, why did she wait three months to come forward?” he asked. He also questioned why the two phones that recorded the videos stopped working after the phone owners met with the family’s lawyer.
The officers can’t be found guilty of felony murder if no felony was committed by them, Ausserer said. They made a lawful arrest because Ellis committed assault when he punched the patrol car window and he resisted arrest, he added.
“If there was probable cause, there is no felony and we’re done,” Ausserer said. “The tragedy of his death doesn’t make the actions of Officer Collins criminal.”
A woman walks past a mural honoring Manuel “Manny” Ellis, Thursday, May 27, 2021, in the Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma, Wash., south of Seattle. Ellis died on March 3, 2020 after he was restrained by police officers. Earlier in the day Thursday, the Washington state attorney general filed criminal charges against three police officers in the death of Ellis, who told the Tacoma officers who were restraining him he couldn’t breathe before he died.
Four county elections offices in Washington state were evacuated Wednesday after they received envelopes containing suspicious powders — including two that field-tested positive for fentanyl — while workers were processing ballots from Tuesday’s election.
The elections offices were located in King County — home of Seattle — as well as Skagit, Spokane and Pierce counties, the Secretary of State’s Office said in emailed news release. Local, state and federal agents were investigating, and no one was injured, officials said.
Renton police detective Robert Onishi confirmed that an envelope received by workers at a King County elections office field-tested positive for fentanyl, while Spokane Police Department spokesperson Julie Humphreys said in a news release that fentanyl was found in an envelope at the Spokane County Elections Office.
The envelope received by the Pierce County elections office in Tacoma contained baking soda, Tacoma police spokesperson William Muse told The Seattle Times.
Similar incidents were reported in other states, with the FBI’s Atlanta Bureau saying that it, and other law enforcement partners, had “responded to multiple incidents involving suspicious letters sent to ballot counting centers nationwide.” The office did not say what other states had received such letters, or provide information about where in Georgia the suspicious envelopes had been received.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger confirmed Fulton County had been targeted. “Our No. 1 priority is secure elections and protecting the men and women who secure our elections,” Raffensperger said in response to the reported threats.
The Department of Justice said it was “aware of the reports” and that the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service were investigating the reports. USPIS declined to comment further.
A message inside the envelope said “something to the effect of stopping the election,” Muse said. “There was no candidate that was identified. There was no religious-affiliated group identified. There was no political issue identified. It was just that vague statement.”
Voters in Washington state cast their ballots by mail. Tuesday’s elections concerned local and county races and measures, including a question on renter protections in Tacoma, a tight mayor’s race in Spokane and close city council races in Seattle.
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs called the incidents “acts of terrorism to threaten our elections.”
“These incidents underscore the critical need for stronger protections for all election workers,” he said.
Halei Watkins, communications manager for King County Elections, told The Seattle Times the envelope opened by staffers in Renton on Wednesday morning was not a ballot. By 3 p.m., King County had returned to counting and was planning to meet its original 4 p.m. deadline to post results, but the update would be “significantly smaller” than what is usually posted on the day after an election, Watkins said.
Patrick Bell, a spokesperson for Spokane County Elections, said workers were sent home after the envelope was found mid-morning and no further votes would be counted Wednesday.
The FBI warned that all people should exercise care in handling mail, especially from senders they don’t recognize. Toxicology and public health experts have previously told CBS News that just touching or being near fentanyl won’t cause an overdose.
The Secretary of State’s Office noted that elections officials in two counties — King and Okanogan — received suspicious substances in envelopes during the August primary. In the case of King County, the envelope contained trace amounts of fentanyl, while in Okanogan the substance was determined to be unharmful on testing by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
A shelter-in-place order was issued Sunday for neighborhoods near a burning fishing vessel in the Hylebos Waterway in Tacoma, Washington, where a “significant explosion” took place and fire conditions have worsened, officials said.
The burning vessel – which is believed to be carrying 55,000 gallons of diesel and 19,000 pounds of freon on board – caught fire early Saturday morning while moored in the waterway, the US Coast Guard said in a news release.
“We were very fortunate that the fire was quickly spotted and reported and the crew onboard was able to safely evacuate,” US Coast Guard Lt. Stephen Nolan told CNN affiliate KING-TV.
There was a “significant explosion” linked to a heated compressed gas cylinder on the vessel, and smoke production shifted toward Northeast Tacoma, Port of Tacoma officials said Sunday night, citing fire officials.
“Due to smoke from a boat fire in Tacoma, Twin Lakes and Green Gables residents should avoid prolonged outdoor exposure whenever smoke odors are present or if smoke is visible,” Federal Way mayor Jim Ferrell tweeted late Sunday night.
By Sunday, the fire had spread throughout the vessel and was about 100 feet from the ship’s freon tanks, according to the Coast Guard. Freon is a trademark name typically used to refer to several different refrigerants, including chlorofluorocarbons, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.
As the fire continues to burn, the heat from the flames can build pressure in the freon tanks, which have built-in heat-activated pressure relief valves designed to release pressure from the tanks in an emergency, according to the Coast Guard.
“While freon can be toxic if inhaled in large quantities or in a confined space, the release of freon into the atmosphere is not expected to pose any health and safety risks to the public,” the Coast Guard said.
Still, the City of Tacoma Fire Department asked residents of the Northeast Tacoma, Browns Point and Dash Point neighborhoods to “remain indoors and limit exposures to smoke.”
“Residents concerned about smoky conditions can provide additional protections by keeping doors closed and shutting outside air vents. Residents may also want to avoid any strenuous activity or exercise outdoors,” the mayor tweeted.
The EPA has been conducting air monitoring in the surrounding areas and first responders have deployed floating barriers around the vessel to contain any spills, the release said.
The Coast Guard has also closed the Hylebos Waterway for all commercial and recreational vessel traffic.
As of Sunday night, no injuries had been reported and there were no signs of maritime pollution, the Coast Guard said.
As crews continue to battle the fire with cooling spray, it remains unclear what ignited the blaze. Authorities said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Using security videos and cellphones, investigators pieced together the final moments of Kassanndra Cantrell’s life — which helped them find the man suspected of kill
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A young woman vanishes. Eerie surveillance video captures a man in a hat. Investigators learn the two are linked by a secret. “48 Hours” contributor Natalie Morales reports.
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For Marie Smith, the realization that her daughter Kassanndra Cantrell had been missing for more than two days was almost more than she could take.
Marie Smith: I called everybody … anybody I could think of, and nobody had heard from her. … I was … hoping that she might be alive somewhere (emotional).
Marie Smith: I never thought … that I’d be the person sitting here … talking about my daughter. … I wanted her found.
Kristi Sinclair: I don’t even know how to explain how wrenching it is.
Smith’s close friend, Kristi Sinclair, says it was agony.
Kristi Sinclair: This can’t be happening. This isn’t real. … she lost her phone. She lost her car. She had no money. … I don’t know. … Anything but what you don’t want to think about, anything but that (emotional).
As Kassanndra’s family and friends grappled with her disappearance, police got to work. Pierce County Sheriff’s Detective Franz Helmcke was assigned to the case. His first step was to talk to those who knew Kassanndra best.
Natalie Morales: How did Marie describe Kassanndra?
Det. Franz Helmcke: Normal.
Natalie Morales: Responsible.
Det. Franz Helmcke: Yeah. Responsible. She would call and let her know where she was going.
Kassanndra Cantrell
Kassanndra Cantrell/Instagram
Detective Helmcke learned Kassanndra was close with her family and good about staying in touch. She enjoyed making YouTube shopping videos and loved being on stage. She’d even once joined a local production of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” where people act alongside the movie. Smith says it was a perfect fit for her daughter.
Marie Smith: She was with a group of people who were … a little wacky like her.
Cheri Mueller: She was good. … She was just adorable.
Cheri Mueller, the show’s producer, recalls Kassanndra’s natural talent.
Cheri Mueller: She was playing a character by the name of Janet Weiss … She also learned the character of … Columbia.
By all accounts, at the time of her disappearance, Kassanndra was a happy 33-year-old, and not someone who would run off.
Det. Franz Helmcke: This wasn’t the — the typical … missing person that was going to come home in a — in a couple of days.
Detective Helmcke canvassed the area around where Marie and Kassanndra lived and found, on a neighbor’s security camera, a clip of Kassanndra’s white Mazda on the morning of August 25. It was seen leaving the neighborhood.
Natalie Morales: Did you see any video of the car coming back?
Det. Franz Helmcke: No.
As the hours ticked by with no sign of Kassanndra, her family and friends tried to remain hopeful. It was particularly difficult for Kassanndra’s twin brother, Rob. Growing up, the two were inseparable and would stay up late at night to watch scary movies.
Natalie Morales: She was never scared of that stuff?
Rob Cantrell: No.
Natalie Morales: No? Wow. She’s tough —
Rob Cantrell: We laughed at most of it.
Natalie Morales: OK. She’s a tough girl, then.
Rob Cantrell: Yeah.
As they got older, their shared passion for movies evolved into collecting memorabilia. They even dreamed of opening their own collectibles shop.
But as close as they were, Rob couldn’t imagine where his sister went, and he was filled with remorse about their last conversation.
Rob Cantrell: We were having an argument … she wanted to actually come over on the 25th … but I ignored her.
The 25th of August 2020 – the day Kassanndra went missing.
Natalie Morales: That’s a big regret I imagine still for you.
Rob Cantrell: Yeah, because then she probably would have told me what she was doing that day. And I would have … at least known … where she had gone.
Kassanndra’s family and friends organized searches.
Natalie Morales: I can’t imagine what that must feel like to be out there searching and — and knowing what you could possibly be looking for.
Kristi Sinclair: You put it in the back — you don’t think about that. … just help me find a clue, help me find a clue.
Three days after Kassanndra vanished, police found her white Mazda unlocked with the keys still inside in an industrial area where groups of homeless people often camp.
KIRO
And then, three days after Kassanndra vanished, police found her white Mazda unlocked with the keys still inside.
Det. Franz Helmcke: It was … almost underneath Interstate 705 … which … goes into the heart of the downtown Tacoma.
It’s an industrial area where groups of homeless people often camp.
Det. Franz Helmcke: Her car’s in the area. … did something happen down here?
Natalie Morales: Strange place for a young woman to park a car then —
Det. Franz Helmcke: Yeah.
Natalie Morales: — and then go missing.
Det. Franz Helmcke: Yeah.
Natalie Morales: Are alarm bells going off, then?
Det. Franz Helmcke: Yeah, yeah. Increasingly.
Marie Smith: She had clearly gotten ready to go somewhere. … Where did — where did she go? Who did she go to see?
Detective Helmcke had ordered an emergency trace on Kassanndra’s cell phone to try and find her last known location. And he discovered her phone last pinged about 2 miles south of a tower on Vashon Island in the Puget Sound.
Det. Franz Helmcke: One of the first things I did was just get on Google Earth and strike an arc from that tower to see where — where it lands. … and it — it showed as landing … around this shoreline at Owen Beach or Point Defiance Park.
Natalie Morales with detectives at Owen Beach.
CBS News
Natalie Morales (at Owen Beach): And when you’re … seeing this huge body of water, you thinking, “we’re just never gonna be able to find this”?
Det. Franz Helmcke: Yeah.
A SECRET REVEALED
Investigators chasing that last ping from Kassanndra’s cell phone knew it was somewhere in the vast waters of the Puget Sound which is nearly 100 miles long.
Natalie Morales: What’s the next step about trying to recover that?
Det. Franz Helmcke: We debated about that because … it’s a needle in a haystack … it’s a … huge body of water.
But Detective Helmcke had a starting point. He knew someone likely had tossed the phone into the water from Owen Beach. Finding it was a longshot, but Det. Sgt. Brent Van Dyke was up for the challenge. He brought the Pierce County Metro Dive Team out to the beach on a summer day.
Det. Sgt. Brent Van Dyke: We got lucky with the tides that day. The tide was extremely low, so it made our search area a little less.
Van Dyke had a plan to dramatically reduce the area where the phone might be. First, he asked members of his team to throw stones from the beach to simulate how far someone could throw a cell phone.
Det. Sgt. Brent Van Dyke: If you picture throwing something from here, it limits the distance that I would have to search for what you threw.
Investigators had ordered a trace on Kassanndra’s cellphone to try to identify her last known location. The phone pinged about two miles south of a tower near Puget Sound. Based on that location, they believed her phone was likely somewhere in the water near Owen Beach in Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park. The Pierce County Metro dive team went to the beach and formed a line and searched the area underwater.
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
The dive team then formed a line, essentially creating an underwater dragnet.
Det. Sgt. Brent Van Dyke: We had a boat out in the water and … a line of people on snorkel that day, just looking down.
They were told that Kassanndra’s phone had a case decorated with glitter. The dive team was in the water for little more than an hour when incredibly …
Det. Sgt.Brent Van Dyke: One of the guys on the line said, “Hey, I think I got it.” They saw a sparkle. … “I think I got the phone” and it was the phone.
Incredibly, after a little over an hour, one of the divers spotted Kassanndra’s cell phone with its sparkly case.
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
The phone was sent to a specialist to determine if any information could be recovered. The hunt to find Kassanndra was intensifying as detectives learned more about her.
Natalie Morales: She felt like she could … tell you pretty much everything about what was going on in her life, right?
Alexandra McNary: (Laughs) Yes.
Natalie Morales: Even her deepest, darkest secrets, she would tell you first.
Alexandra McNary: Yup.
“Kass is … a rare person,”Alexandra McNary says of her best friend. “She didn’t care what you thought of her … She didn’t care if you liked her. She didn’t care if she was too loud or too in your face. She just was. “
Alexandra McNary
And a month before she disappeared, Kassanndra confided a secret to her best friend.
Alexandra McNary: She texted me a positive pregnancy test and said, “I think I might be preggers.”
And the day she was supposed to meet McNary, but never showed up? It was going to be her first ultrasound. For Det. Franz Helmcke, learning Kassanndra had been pregnant at the time of her disappearance changed everything.
Det. Franz Helmcke: This is what is now piquing my — my interest.
Natalie Morales: Normally in a situation where a pregnant woman disappears … you look at who the partner is first.
Det. Franz Helmcke: Correct.
Kassanndra had also told her mother she was pregnant but didn’t provide details.
Det. Franz Helmcke: I ask Marie … “did she tell you who the father was?” … and she says, well, it was some guy … she met online or through a dating app.
Marie Smith: She told me … it was not somebody that she was actually seeing. … and that he didn’t even live in the area.
It was no secret Kassanndra was actively dating, using apps like Tinder. And Smith told detectives about an old boyfriend Kassanndra was still in touch with, Colin Dudley. The two had dated back in 2006 while in the Rocky Horror acting group. The show’s producer, Cheri Mueller.
Alexandra McNary says Kassanndra told her the father of her future baby was an ex-boyfriend that she had been seeing again: Colin Dudley. He and Kassanndra met in 2006 during a local production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and dated for a few months. Dudley then began a relationship with another “Rocky Horror Picture Show” cast member, and by 2020 they were living together.
Sue Evans
Cheri Mueller: Colin played a character called the Criminologist on stage. Outside of the stage, when he wasn’t performing, he was the head of tech. And he kind of ran the cast.
But after dating for several months, Dudley and Kassanndra broke up. Colin started a relationship with another cast member, Rebecca, and the two eventually moved in together. Steve Ammann hung out at their home regularly to play a game called Dungeons & Dragons.
Natalie Morales: Explain what Dungeons & Dragons is … it’s not a board game, right?
Steve Ammann: No, not a traditional board game. Uh, it’s more of a theater of the mind-type gameplay. … doing things that you wouldn’t normally do in real life … role play a wizard, a rogue, a fighter.
The game always took place in Dudley’s basement.
Steve Ammann: Colin was kind of the Dungeon Master of it. The one who ran the show.
And Ammann liked being around him. Dudley was quick to help if someone needed money, he says, and he still remembers the meals Colin cooked for game nights.
Steve Ammann: He was a chef by profession, so it was nice food.
In 2014, after Dudley’s father died, he rekindled a friendship with Kassanndra.
Marie Smith: She assured me … you know, that she was just there to be a friend. … She’s like … “He’s got a girlfriend.”
According to Smith, Kassanndra and Dudley would sometimes watch movies or grab a bite to eat. At some point, McNary says, even though Colin was living with Rebecca, his relationship with Kassanndra once again turned romantic.
And Kassanndra told McNary that Colin Dudley was the father of her baby.
Alexandra McNary: She was very excited. She talked about, you know, names and games she wanted at the baby shower … She — she had an Amazon registry already made.
Kassanndra’s only hesitation: whether she should tell Dudley. He was with Rebecca and had mentioned he didn’t want to have kids. But McNary says Kassanndra did tell Colin she was pregnant, and he was fine with it.
Alexandra McNary: She called me … and she said, “Well, I told him.” … and “it went better than expected.” … He was calm and said not to worry about it, and that they would talk.
Detective Helmcke wondered if Dudley knew where Kassanndra was.
DET. FRANZ HELMCKE: We’re just trying to follow up with people who knew Kassanndra, you know … places she likes to go that we could maybe look.
Colin Dudley sat and talked with Detective Helmcke on his front porch – and the conversation was recorded.
DET. FRANZ HELMCKE: This is a recorded statement … we are going to be taking from Colin Patrick Dudley.
Det. Franz Helmcke: So, you know, we just kind of begin with just simple, hey, tell us about … you and Kassanndra. … “How did you meet?”
COLIN DUDLEY: I met her at “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” … we were in a relationship for a couple of months and then we broke up in 2006.
Det. Franz Helmcke: I then started kind of running some of these things by him that — that people were telling me.
DET. FRANZ HELMCKE: Talking to other people, talking to Kassanndra’s family and some of the friends … They reported that she was about 10 weeks pregnant … and what we’ve been hearing is that she’s been telling people that you are the father.
COLIN DUDLEY: No way. No. Hell no.
Dudley was adamant. He and Kassanndra were not in a relationship, and he was most definitely not the father of her child.
Det. Franz Helmcke: I asked him, are you sure? You know, no — no one-night stands? No, you know, hookups after the fact or anything like that? No, absolutely not, he says.
In fact, Dudley insisted he hadn’t seen or spoken to Kassanndra since they broke up back in 2006, except once, when he ran into her at the mall.
DET. FRANZ HELMCKE: You haven’t had any – no contact with her. No messages? Or no Facebook or anything?
COLIN DUDLEY: No.
Helmcke believed Dudley was lying. But could he prove it? It turned out a clue to finding the answer was in Smith’s paperwork.
THE MAN IN THE HAT
Detective Helmcke believed Colin Dudley was lying when he said he had not seen or spoken to Kassanndra for years. But it was Kassanndra’s mother Marie Smith who provided some proof. She had been combing through Kassanndra’s old phone bills, where she noticed a mystery number that kept reappearing.
Marie Smith: We didn’t know … whose it was … because it didn’t have a name attached to it.
Natalie Morales: Going back how far in the past?
Marie Smith: Oh, we looked back … months and months, you know … as far back as we could see that this number kept popping up.
And the last time it popped up, Smith told Detective Helmcke, was the morning Kassanndra disappeared.
Det. Franz Helmcke: I said, “OK, so what — what’s that number?” And she tells me … And … I immediately know it’s Colin’s.
Helmcke wanted forensic investigators to take a closer look at Dudley’s phone, which Detective Helmcke had taken when they’d met on Dudley’s front porch.
Det. Franz Helmcke: I told him … I have a warrant to seize your phone. I read him the warrant. Grabbed the phone … and we left.
Investigators later obtained the phone records for both Kassanndra and Dudley’s phones. They were turned over to Detective Ryan Salmon, the cell phone forensics analyst for the sheriff’s department. Salmon noticed something curious: the name “Kassanndra” never appeared in Dudley’s phone.
Natalie Morales: What name was he using for Kassanndra?
Det. Ryan Salmon: He had it under Velma.
Natalie Morales: Why Velma?
Det. Ryan Salmon: We learned later through … Kassanndra’s mother that she had gone as Velma from “Scooby Doo” as a Halloween … costume.
And it’s likely, Salmon said, that Colin Dudley did not want his live-in girlfriend to know he was still in touch with Kassanndra. Even without the information from her water-logged phone, Salmon was able to see when and where she and Dudley interacted simply by having those phone records.
Det. Ryan Salmon: It’s … extremely helpful … in determining where somebody was … during a critical time frame … people have a cell phone with them almost all day, every day.
The phone records showed Kassanndra’s white Mazda driving to the spot where it was found. But had Kassanndra or someone else parked it there? Detective Helmcke knew the city’s light rail system was nearby and asked their security people if they could find any footage of Kassanndra’s car. What they found proved crucial.
Det. Franz Helmcke: “We have the video you want. … you need to get down here and look at it.”
On Aug. 28, 2020, police found Kassanndra’s car parked on a street in an industrial neighborhood; it was unlocked, with the keys on the center console. A light rail system operated along that same street, so investigators requested its train camera footage from the Aug. 25. One video showed a man in a dark hat walking away from Kasssanndra’s car and continuing to the nearby light rail station around 11:50 that morning.
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
The videos have never been shown publicly. In one video from a moving light rail train taken the late morning of August 25, Helmcke could see a man in a black hat walking away from where Kassanndra’s car was parked. Then, a different camera shows that same man from a much closer angle.
Det. Franz Helmcke: He’ll cross right in front of this camera. … So, he comes walking across and you can see –
Natalie Morales: Fedora.
Det. Franz Helmcke: — all black, the blue gloves, then the fedora … And he just sits down at the stop.
The time was 11:50 a.m. The man sits for four minutes and then keeps walking.
Det. Franz Helmcke: Now he gets up, continues walking …
Surveillance image of the masked, gloved man in the black fedora.
PCSD
His face, covered by some type of mask, is hard to see but, based on his build and gait, Helmcke suspected that Colin Dudley was the man wearing that fedora. The detective had been told that Dudley often had asked — demanded even — that people call him “Hat” or “Hat Man.”
Alexandra McNary had heard all about it from Kassanndra.
Natalie Morales: Was he always wearing a hat?
Alexandra McNary: He would put it on and switch into his persona of the Hat Man and preferred to be called the Hat Man. The persona was basically the main character from “Clockwork Orange.” Very dark, intentionally so. Morally dubious.
Natalie Morales: Did you see the security video at all of the man in the hat?
Alexandra McNary: I — did get to see it.
Natalie Morales: Did you look at it and say, “that’s Colin?”
Alexandra McNary: Well, who else would it be?
In that video from the light rail system, the man in the hat keeps walking — right into the Tacoma Dome Station parking garage, only blocks away from where Kassanndra’s car was found. Helmcke asked security personnel at the garage if they had any footage. The answer was a resounding “yes.”
Det. Franz Helmcke: They find him walking into the parking garage to a truck.
Det. Ryan Salmon: You can see him using … a remote-control opener, gets into the truck … And then as he exits the parking garage, you can see pretty clearly in the video the license plate which comes back to Mr. Dudley.
That was Colin’s Chevy truck, proving, the detective said, that the man in the video and Colin Dudley were one and the same.
Detective Helmcke was convinced that Colin had done somethingto Kassanndra, and he wanted to get into Dudley’s house—immediately.
Det. Franz Helmcke: We don’t have a body. We don’t have … any true evidence that … Kassanndra is dead. We’re still hoping … maybe she is tied up in the basement.
Six days after Kassanndra Cantrell vanished, a SWAT team burst into Colin Dudley’s house.
“THE MAJOR BREAK IN THE CASE”
Authorities were out in force after they raided Colin Dudley’s house, but they found no sign of Kassanndra.
Det. Franz Helmcke: Kassanndra was … not found inside … but Colin … was detained temporarily for us to do the fingerprints and DNA.
Investigators seized several items from the house, including Colin’s Chevy Colorado truck and a black fedora.
Investigators seized several items from Colin Dudley’s house, including his Chevy Colorado truck and a black fedora.
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
DET. FRANZ HELMCKE: I don’t know if it’s the same one he’s wearing in the video or not … there were numerous areas that they identified in the basement where there was possible DNA, blood evidence … And they said that the cadaver dogs showed particular interest in the basement … specifically a brown sofa in the basement.
Det. Helmcke believed something terrible had happened to Kassanndra. Dudley had stopped talking to investigators, but his live-in girlfriend Rebecca Fischer, a carpenter, agreed to sit down for an interview.
DETECTIVE: Do you think he would be capable of hurting Kassanndra?
After a 13-second pause:
REBECCA FISCHER: Physics would say yes, he’s got size and strength on her. I don’t think he would … No, he would not.
And investigators could not prove otherwise. Dudley was free to go.
Natalie Morales: Why can’t you arrest him?
Det. Franz Helmcke: Well … he’s guilty of something. But … what is he guilty of?
Det. Helmcke wanted to know every move Dudley made on August 25, the day Kassanndra went missing. And he said it became clear that Dudley had hatched a well-thought-out plot to get rid of Kassanndra.
Det. Franz Helmcke: He had planned this, and he probably was pretty meticulous in his planning.
In his police interview, Dudley said that early on the morning Kassanndra disappeared, he’d visited Costco.
Det. Ryan Salmon: So, the first stop he makes is at a Costco gas station.
That was at 6:31 a.m. Then he went to a second Costco to pick up supplies for what he had told detectives was a “spring cleaning.” Investigators subpoenaed receipts and the store provided video. Surveillance cameras pick up Dudley in the store around 7 a.m.
Colin Dudley is seen on surveillance video at a Costco store the morning of August 25 — the day Kassanndra went missing. Dudley told detectives he was shopping for supplies for a “spring cleaning.”
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
Natalie Morales: This is where he said he stopped because he needed supplies for his spring cleaning.
Det. Ryan Salmon: Correct. Yes.
Natalie Morales: The video is so crystal-clear.
Det. Ryan Salmon: We think that’s probably the garbage sacs.
Store records show that Dudley purchased a box of heavy-duty trash bags.
Natalie Morales: Goes back to his house.
Det. Ryan Salmon: Right.
Detectives say then Dudley dropped off the supplies at home and drove to the Tacoma Dome Station parking garage arriving at 8:17 a.m.
Det. Ryan Salmon: We have surveillance video for that, too, which shows that truck again … Now, in the back, you’ll see a bike. … And then you’ll see him get out and put on a helmet and get on a bike and ride it away.
Dudley left his truck in the garage and began pedaling home. It’s about a 20-minute ride. Investigators believe he wanted to be home by 9 a.m. because, as it turns out, he and Kassanndra had made plans to meet at his house.
Sure enough, text records show that Kassanndra was outside Colin’s house at 8:49 a.m.
Det. Ryan Salmon: She said, “I’m a bit early, that ok?”
Natalie Morales: And he says?
Det. Ryan Salmon: He says, “Yep, come on down.” And those two messages were both deleted out of his phone.
Natalie Morales: And, so, the two phones are then pinpointed in that same location at the house for a couple of hours.
For a little more than two hours, neither phone showed any movement, and it was during this period of time investigators believe Colin Dudley likely killed Kassanndra Cantrell.
Natalie Morales: It … shows you the amount of premeditation –
Det. Ryan Salmon: Right.
Natalie Morales: — that went into planning this.
Det. Ryan Salmon: Right.
It appears, investigators say, that around 11:40 a.m., Dudley turned off his cell phone as Kassanndra’s phone shows it moving away from the house. Det. Salmon says that’s because Dudley had her phone with him as he drove her car to the spot where he abandoned it near the light rail station.
Natalie Morales: He turns his cell phone off, but doesn’t turn her cell phone off and is driving around with it? What was he thinking?
Det. Franz Helmcke: Apparently … he wasn’t — he wasn’t thinking well enough … not as smart as he thought he was.
Det. Ryan Salmon: You’ll see Kassanndra’s car –
Natalie Morales: Is that it right there?
Det. Ryan Salmon: Yep, that white one coming down.
Surveillance video shows Colin Dudley seated at the light rail station stop. Det. Salmon believes he was gathering himself after murdering Kassanndra.
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
And then you see Dudley in the hat walking away from her car. Remember how he paused for a few moments and sat down? Det. Salmon believes he was gathering himself after murdering Kassanndra.
Det. Ryan Salmon: I think he is just physically tired because of probably how violent the incident was.
Detectives say Dudley then retrieved his truck from the garage where he had stashed it earlier that day, drove to Owen Beach and tossed Kassanndra’s phone into the Puget Sound.
Natalie Morales: And what time roughly was … that last ping?
Det. Franz Helmcke: It was around 12:45 p.m.
But while investigators had discovered her phone in the water, they still hadn’t found Kassanndra. They had no idea what Dudley had done with her, but they did have his Chevy Colorado truck, and Helmcke had an idea.
Det. Franz Helmcke: As an investigator, I’ve been exposed to … different technologies … and we knew cars had … electronic … evidence contained in them.
Almost every car or truck has reams of data that can be extracted.
Det. Ryan Salmon: So, this is where the major break in the case, you know, came through.
Natalie Morales: You can turn your cell phone off and not necessarily be able to track. But you can’t turn your car’s black box off.
Det. Ryan Salmon: Exactly.
The black box from Colin Dudley’s truck had a record of Dudley’s movements on August 26 — the day after Kassanndra visited his house.
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
Helmcke got a warrant to remove the truck’s black box—essentially a computer that tracks and records nearly every move a vehicle makes. He reviewed the data which confirmed much of what they already knew from the phone records. But there was something new that caught everyone’s attention. The truck’s black box had a record of Colin Dudley’s movements on August 26 — the day after Kassanndra visited his house.
Natalie Morales (looking at a monitor): And this is the next morning.
Det. Ryan Salmon: Correct. So, now, we’re at 6:00 a.m. … And then, of course, we noticed where the vehicle stops … that there’s a large, wooded ravine.
On Sept. 22, 2020, Det. Sgt. Brent Van Dyke rushed to that ravine, which is 8 miles from Dudley’s house. It was nearly a month since Kassanndra had gone missing.
Det. Sgt. Brent Van Dyke: I, uh, got there first and looked over the hillside, and, uh, you could clearly see that there was, uh, a … garbage can halfway down the hill. … you could see that the garbage can had, uh, a bag liner and, uh, some ropes around it …
He also spotted blood.
Natalie Morales: So, you clearly at this point knew you had remains?
Det. Sgt. Brent Van Dyke: Oh, absolutely.
Helmcke, also at the scene, wanted to make a quick identification and he knew that Kassanndra had a distinctive tattoo.
Det. Franz Helmcke: I asked them to take a picture of it. So, they took a picture and came walking up the hill.
Helmcke recognized the tattoo immediately. Kassanndra Cantrell was dead. Helmcke’s heart sank when he thought about calling Kassanndra’s mother.
Det. Franz Helmcke: So, I called Marie and … I told her that I had information that I needed to share with her.
Marie Smith: My first question was, “is she OK?” (emotional)
Natalie Morales: Mm-hmm.
Marie Smith: And he said … “No, I’m sorry, she’s not.”
Kassanndra’s twin brother Rob overheard that phone call.
Rob Cantrell: The second I heard her screaming, I knew that they had found her.
Colin Dudley was arrested that night and later charged with first-degree murder.
Investigators felt they had built a strong case, so strong that they decided not to try and retrieve the information on Kassanndra’s waterlogged phone.
The case barreled toward trial for two years, and then Kassanndra’s friends and family heard that prosecutors were considering making a plea deal with Dudley. They could not believe it.
Marie Smith: It was premeditated … it was literally cold-blooded.
Kristi Sinclair: I have no words.
Natalie Morales: A lot of anger, though.
Kristi Sinclair: A lot.
HONORING KASSANNDRA
Alexandra McNary: She was an optimist. … She never lost that even up until the end. I believe that she entered his house hopeful.
Hopeful that Colin Dudley was getting comfortable with her pregnancy. Instead, investigatorsbelieve he brutally murdered her. An autopsy revealed exactly how brutal.
Det. Franz Helmcke: There were fractures, major fractures to her skull.
Natalie Morales: So, hit over the head. Many times.
Det. Franz Helmcke: Cause of death was blunt force trauma.
Investigators say they were never able to identify a murder weapon. But they did find those traces of blood — likely Kassanndra’s — in Dudley’s basement.
Det. Franz Helmcke: Basement floor, walls, a stainless-steel table and the laundry room sink.
Police suspect Colin cleaned the basement multiple times after killing Kassanndra and kept her body there overnight, before dumping her in that ravine the next morning. And they believe Colin’s live-in girlfriend Rebecca was home during some of that time.
Det. Franz Helmcke: And thinking about, you know, Rebecca’s there in the house, too.
Natalie Morales: That was my next question. Was there any thought that she had to have been involved?
Det. Franz Helmcke: There was — I mean, some people thought that.
Investigators confronted Rebecca.
DETECTIVE: Did you have anything to do with her disappearance of Kassanndra on any level?
REBECCA FISCHER: Nope.
Det. Franz Helmcke: We did not find any information that … she knew that it went on, that she had anything to do with it. … They kept separate areas of the house. And so, I could see, you know, her doing her own thing and … not going down the basement.
But Rebecca did confirm to police that Colin never wanted to be a father.
REBECCA FISCHER: He does not want to be a dad.
Pierce County Deputy Prosecutors Brian Wasankari and Patrick Vincent went to work on proving Dudley’s guilt.
Brian Wasankari: I thought this was a very strong case, at least circumstantially. I mean, oddly, it’s not one in which we had a great deal of physical evidence. … It was a case that relied on essentially digital records.
Like that video of Colin leaving Kassanndra’s car, those phone records placing Kassanndra at Colin’s house the morning she disappeared, and the data showing Colin’s truck where Kassanndra’s remains were eventually found. For the prosecutors it seemed like a lot, but they were concerned about convincing a jury at trial.
Brian Wasankari: We don’t have an eyewitness, we don’t have a murder weapon, we don’t have a confession.
So, when the defense offered to accept a deal, the prosecutors negotiated. Eventually, Colin Dudley agreed to plead guilty to murder in the first degree for killing Kassanndra. The prosecutors brought the deal to Kassanndra’s family. They were furious.
Colin Dudley was arrested that night and was Charged with first-degree murder Colin Dudley would plead guilty and the case did not go to trial. On Nov. 14, 2022, he was sentenced to just over 26 years in prison for the murder of Kassanndra Cantrell.
KIRO
But on Nov. 14, 2022, Colin Dudley formally entered his guilty plea.
JUDGE: With regard to the charge, Murder in the First Degree, how do you plead, guilty or not guilty?
COLIN DUDLEY: Guilty.
He was sentenced to 26 years in prison.
Kristi Sinclair: I have no words that would even encompass the frustration, anger, sadness, heartache.
Kassanndra’s family and friends had wanted a trial where the full story was told. They are also upset that someone guilty of murdering a pregnant woman would only get 26 years in prison.
Natalie Morales: Do you think the system is broken?
Kristi Sinclair: Very broken in this case. … How is it that somebody can do what he did and not have to spend his life in prison?
It was a sentiment Steve Ammann shared. He felt betrayed by his one-time friend and had even written a letter to the judge saying, “He should not be out at all. He won’t learn from this.”
Colin Dudley likely will get out. And with good behavior, he could be free again as early as 2044.
Marie Smith: He should never see the light of day again.
Natalie Morales: Because when he gets out, he could be in his early 60s.
Marie Smith: Yeah. … and he’s still got all that time to live.
Kassanndra’s family wants to make sure that no one else suffers the way they say they have. They would like a law in Washington State that if someone is guilty of knowingly killing a pregnant woman, they would automatically get a life sentence.
Rob Cantrell: No possibility of parole. You die in jail. … Until there’s any sort of resemblance of justice, I’m not letting this go.
And while the family wages that fight, Kassanndra’s twin brother is trying to honor his sister in other ways she would have loved.
Natalie Morales: You did, though, finally open that dream that you had together, your own store.
Rob Cantrell: Yes. I got a big mural of her hanging in the window and then photos throughout the store of her. It’s a living tribute to her.
Rob Cantrell is trying to honor his twin sister in other ways she would have loved — including a mural of Kassanndra and photos of her in the store they had once dreamed of opening together.
CBS News
The store is not far from Kassanndra’s grave, where he and his mom go to visit her.
Marie Smith: You know, say hi, keep her headstone clean. … bringing her flowers.
Natalie Morales: Do you think what life could be like with her now if she had had the chance to live her life and be a mom?
Marie Smith: Yeah. I think about it a lot because she had all of these plans …She had all of these sweet plans. (emotional)
Marie says her daughter lived life to fullest, immortalized by that distinctive tattoo she had of her favorite quote.
Marie Smith: “We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.”
Marie Smith: she always had something up her sleeve. She would spring little surprises on me … and that’s what I miss most. It’s just a happy presence.
Kassanndra Cantrell’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Colin Dudley.
It is scheduled to go to trial in August 2023.
Produced by Betsy Shuller, Paul La Rosa and Lauren Clark. Greg Fisher is the development producer. Morgan Canty is the associate producer. Doreen Schechter is the producer/editor. Joan Adelman and Marlon Disla are the editors. Patti Aronofsky is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.
Days after a young woman vanishes, a man in a distinctive hat is seen walking away from her car. Who is the man in the hat?
On Aug. 25, 2020, Kassanndra Cantrell, a 33-year-old woman from Tacoma, Washington, disappeared. Her mother Marie Smith recalled saying goodbye to Kassanndra early that morning, but says Kassanndra didn’t return home later that day, and had stopped responding to phone calls and texts.
Not like her
Alexandra McNary
According to Kassanndra’s friend, Alexandra McNary, the two had plans to meet on Aug. 26, 2020, but Kassanndra never showed up. The next morning, Kassanndra’s mother texted McNary to see if Kassanndra was with her to which Alexandra replied that she was not. Marie Smith called the police later that day.
Where did Kassanndra go?
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
Pierce County Sheriff’s Detective Franz Helmcke spoke with Kassanndra’s family and friends and scoured footage from local surveillance cameras for clues. On a neighbor’s security camera, they found video of Kassanndra’s white Mazda leaving her neighborhood on the morning of Aug. 25, the day she went missing.
The man in the hat
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
On Aug. 28, 2020, police found Kassanndra’s car parked on a street in an industrial neighborhood; it was unlocked, with the keys on the center console. A light rail system operated along that same street, so investigators requested its train camera footage from August 25. One video showed a man in a dark hat walking away from Kasssanndra’s car and continuing to the nearby light rail station around 11:50 that morning.
Searching for clues
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
Investigators had ordered a trace on Kassanndra’s cellphone to try to identify her last known location. The phone pinged about two miles south of a tower near Puget Sound. Based on that location, they believed her phone was likely somewhere in the water near Owen Beach in Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park. The Pierce County Metro Dive Team went to the beach and formed a line and searched the area underwater.
An amazing find
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
Incredibly, after a little over an hour, one of the divers spotted Kassanndra’s cellphone with its sparkly case. It was sent to a specialist to determine if any information could be recovered from it. Marie Smith, meanwhile, had combed through Kassanndra’s phone records. She noticed correspondence with an unfamiliar number with no name assigned to it. The last time that phone number appeared in Kassanndra’s phone record was the morning she disappeared.
An added urgency to find Kassanndra
Alexandra McNary
The investigation was operating on several fronts. Investigators had also learned that at the time she went missing, Kassanndra was around 10 weeks pregnant. Kassanndra had texted her friend Alexandra McNary a picture of a positive pregnancy test, and their planned meeting on August 26 had been to attend her first ultrasound scan.
A secret romance
Sue Evans
Alexandra McNary says Kassanndra told her the father of her future baby was an ex-boyfriend that she had been seeing again: Colin Dudley. He and Kassanndra met in 2006 during a local production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and dated for a few months. Dudley then began a relationship with another “Rocky Horror Picture Show” cast member, and by 2020 they were living together.
However, Kassanndra had told friends that she and Dudley had secretly rekindled their romance. Kassanndra had also said Dudley had previously told her he did not want kids. McNary told “48 Hours” contributor Natalie Morales that Kassanndra called her after revealing her pregnancy to Colin. “… she said, ‘well, I told him … and it went better than expected … He was calm and said not to worry about it, and that they would talk.’”
Interviewing Colin Dudley
CBS News
Detective Helmcke went to Colin Dudley’s house to arrange an interview and left his number. Dudley called him back and agreed to speak with him the next day. When Det. Helmcke asked about Kassanndra, Dudley said he hadn’t had contact with her in years.
Remember that mysterious phone number Marie Smith had found in Kassanndra’s phone records? It was the same number Dudley had called Helmcke on to set up the interview. Helmcke confronted Dudley about Kassanndra’s claims that he was the father of her baby, and Dudley denied it and any involvement in her disappearance.
Following the man in the hat
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
When Det. Helmcke viewed the footage from the light rail system where Kassanndra’s car had been found, something stuck out. The man walking away from her car on Aug. 25 looked similar to Colin Dudley, but was wearing a mask and a black fedora. He appeared to walk away from the station towards a nearby parking garage, so Helmcke asked the garage security team to search their video recordings for any sign of the man in the hat.
Colin Dudley’s truck
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
The video from the garage did show the man in the hat walking in just after he had left the light rail station on the morning of Aug. 25, 2020. In the video, the man walked to a gray Chevy truck parked in the garage, got in, and drove out. As the truck left the garage, the license plate was visible. It was registered to Colin Dudley.
The pieces come together
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
As they scanned back through the garage footage from even earlier in the day on August 25, investigators found the Chevy truck had been parked there around 8 a.m. That video showed what appeared to be Colin Dudley in a different shirt driving the truck in and then riding off on a bike. Investigators believe Dudley was putting his truck in place for when he would later drop off Kassanndra’s car.
A planned meeting
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
Cellphone provider data revealed that Kassanndra Cantrell and Colin Dudley would often text about meeting up at his house, and that Kassanndra had texted Dudley at 8:49 a.m. the morning she went missing: “I’m a bit early, that ok?” Dudley responded, “Yep, come on down.”
Investigators search Colin Dudley’s house
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
Investigators searched Colin Dudley’s house but didn’t find Kassanndra. They did take evidence, including his truck, a bike, and a black fedora hat. Cadaver dogs showed particular interest in the basement, especially a brown couch. But it wasn’t enough to make an arrest. Detective Helmcke told “48 Hours,” “He’s guilty of something. But … what is he guilty of?”
A new lead
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
Once investigators were able to zero in on Colin Dudley, they got a warrant to remove his truck’s black box to collect its data and track the truck’s movements on the day of Kassanndra’s disappearance.
Something that caught their attention was Dudley’s movements on August 26, the day after Kassanndra was at his house. Early that morning, Dudley’s truck drove to an area near a wooded ravine and stopped for several minutes. On Sept. 22, 2020, nearly a month after Kassanndra’s disappearance, investigators rushed to that ravine, only eight miles from Dudley’s house.
Police data shows Colin Dudley’s movements on the morning of Aug. 26, 2020. The yellow dots represent Dudley’s vehicle driving to the location where Kassanndra Cantrell’s remains were found.
Kassanndra Cantrell’s remains are found
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department
In the area near where Colin Dudley’s Chevy had parked, investigators found a trash bin with a bag liner, blood and human remains. Det. Helmcke was able to identify the remains by a distinctive tattoo Marie Smith had told him Kassanndra had. It was a quote that read, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.” Kassanndra Cantrell had been found.
Colin Dudley pleads guilty
KIRO
Colin Dudley was arrested that night and was charged with first-degree murder. He later pleaded guilty and the case did not go to trial.
On Nov. 14, 2022, Dudley was sentenced to just over 26 years in prison for the murder of Kassanndra Cantrell. With good behavior, he could be out as early as 2044.
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Former NBA star Shawn Kemp acted in self-defense when he exchanged gunfire in a Washington parking lot while trying to retrieve a stolen cell phone and other items, his attorneys said Thursday.
Kemp, 53, was arrested by Tacoma police Wednesday for investigation of a drive-by shooting but was released from jail Thursday afternoon without charges having been filed. The Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office said it would not file charges pending further investigation.
“We’re grateful they didn’t rush to judgment,” said Seattle criminal defense lawyer Tim Leary, who is representing Kemp.
In a written statement, another Kemp attorney, W. Scott Boatman, said Kemp’s vehicle was broken into Tuesday night and several items were taken — including an iPhone. Kemp tracked the phone’s location to an occupied car at the Tacoma Mall, and when Kemp confronted the individuals inside, they shot at him, and he returned fire, Boatright said.
“There was not a drive by shooting as previously reported and Mr. Kemp’s actions were reasonable and legally justified,” Boatman said. “Mr. Kemp met with law enforcement at the scene in an attempt to assist in the matter.”
Tacoma police said they recovered a gun at the scene.
Kemp, who has two licensed cannabis stores in Seattle, was a six-time NBA all-star and played for the Seattle SuperSonics from 1989 to 1997. He also played for Cleveland, Portland and Orlando.
Kemp debuted in the NBA during the 1989-90 season as a 20-year-old who had never played college basketball. He became known for his high-flying, athletic dunks.
SEATTLE — Two men have been arrested and charged with vandalizing electrical substations in Washington state, attacks that left thousands without power over the holidays, and one suspect told authorities they did it so they could break into a business and steal money, U.S. authorities said Tuesday.
Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, both of Puyallup, were arrested Saturday and set to appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Tuesday.
A newly unsealed complaint charged both with conspiracy to damage energy facilities, and it charged Greenwood with possession of a short-barreled rifle and a short-barreled shotgun. Cellphone location data and other evidence tied them to the attacks on the four substations in Pierce County, the complaint said.
The attacks on Dec. 25 left more than 15,000 customers without power. Officials have warned that the U.S. power grid needs better security to prevent domestic terrorism and after a large outage in North Carolina last month took days to repair.
According to the complaint, Greenwood told investigators after his arrest that the two knocked out power so they could burglarize a business and steal from the cash register. The business was not identified in the complaint.
“We have seen attacks such as these increase in Western Washington and throughout the country and must treat each incident seriously,” Seattle U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said in a news release. “The outages on Christmas left thousands in the dark and cold and put some who need power for medical devices at extreme risk.”
It was not immediately clear if the men had attorneys who might speak on their behalf.
The four substations targeted were the Graham and Elk Plain substations operated by Tacoma Power and the Kapowsin and Hemlock substations operated by Puget Sound Energy. The complaint said transformers at the Tacoma Power substations would have to be replaced and damage was estimated to be at least $3 million.
According to the complaint, the pair hit the first three substations early on Christmas Day, then struck the last — the Kapowsin substation — that evening. In each case, they used bolt cutters to access the properties and manipulated switches to knock out power. At the Kapowsin substation, their actions cause arcing and sparking, the complaint said.
Greenwood and Crahan were identified as suspects because location data showed cellphones linked to them to be in the vicinity of all four incidents, FBI Special Agent Mark Tucher wrote in the complaint. Agents surveilled them from Dec. 27 to Jan. 3 and they appeared to be sharing a home in Puyallup, he said.
“The substations are spread out over dozens of miles; the attacks occurred early in the morning and in the evening; and the first and fourth attacks were separated by over twelve hours,” the complaint said. “This makes it at least unlikely that an individual would simply happen to be at all four locations around the times they were each vandalized.”
When he was arrested, Greenwood had several articles of clothing that matched images of one of the suspects in surveillance images, and agents found him to have two unregistered short-barreled weapons, the complaint said.
Conspiracy to attack energy facilities is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Possession of an unregistered firearm is punishable by up to 10 years.
At least four electrical substations were targeted in earlier attacks in Oregon and Washington beginning in late November. Attackers used firearms in at least some of the incidents and some power customers in Oregon temporarily lost service. In one of the attacks, two people cut through a fence surrounding a high-voltage substation and then shot several pieces of equipment.
The utilities affected in those cases — Portland General Electric, the Bonneville Power Administration and Puget Sound Energy — said they were working with the FBI.
TACOMA, Wash. — Vandalism at three power substations in western Washington early Sunday initially cut power to about 14,000 utility customers, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said.
The attacks come as federal officials are warning that the U.S. power grid needs better security to prevent domestic terrorism and after a large outage in North Carolina earlier this month that took days to repair.
In January, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security report warned that domestic extremists have been developing “credible, specific plans” to attack electricity infrastructure since at least 2020.
Tacoma Public Utilities reported vandalism at about 5:30 a.m. Sunday at one substation, followed by vandalism at a second substation, the sheriff’s office said. The outages affected about 7,300 customers in an area southeast of Tacoma. Just before noon, the utility had restored power to all but 2,700 customers whose power was estimated to be restored late Sunday.
Meanwhile, just before noon, Puget Sound Energy reported vandalism that had happened at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday caused a power outage at one of its substations. PSE officials did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment on who was affected by the outage and how long it lasted.
In all three cases, the sheriff’s office says someone forced their way into the fenced area surrounding the substations and damaged equipment to cause a power outage.
Officials have not said how the substations were damaged. No suspects are in custody and officials don’t know if it was a coordinated attack.
Oregon Public Broadcasting and KUOW-FM in Seattle reported earlier this month that Portland General Electric, the Bonneville Power Administration, Cowlitz County Public Utility District and Puget Sound Energy confirmed six separate attacks on electrical substations in Washington and Oregon in the previous weeks.
