Man accused in fatal Capitol Hill stabbing has lengthy criminal history with dozens of arrests

SEATTLE — The man accused of fatally stabbing another man in Capitol Hill on July 4 was scheduled to make a first appearance in court Wednesday afternoon, but waived his first appearance, choosing not to show up in court.

KOMO News has learned through state records the suspect has been arrested more than two dozen times before, yet he was still out on the streets before landing back behind bars for murder. Court records also indicate the deadly attack was random and unprovoked.

In court Wednesday, prosecutors acknowledged the suspect’s lengthy criminal history and argued the defendant should be held on $2 million bail, which the judge granted.

“Given the allegations that he essentially chased down a stranger and stabbed him to death in public and that he has prior convictions for violent offenses as well as order violations, I will set bail at $2 million,” a judge said in court during the suspect’s first appearance hearing Wednesday afternoon.

Shocking video from a nearby Seattle traffic camera captured the moments a violent attack near the corner of Pike Street and Broadway in the early morning hours of July 4 ended with a 45-year old man stabbed to death.

RELATED: Man stabbed to death in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood

Deshawn Fields, who lives in the neighborhood, was stunned to see the video of the murder.

“Something seriously has to be wrong with you in your head to wake up and think you’re going to do that to somebody,” Fields said.

Court records show the suspect randomly attacked the victim, chasing him towards the gas station with witnesses stating the victim pleaded, “Why are you doing this, I don’t even know you.”

SDOT video shows employees from the store running out to help, and Seattle police say they used pepper spray on the suspect, then chased him down. According to court documents, when asked why he continued stabbing the victim, the suspect said, “I wanted to end his suffering.”

According to state records, the suspect has been arrested 28 times. KOMO News is not naming the suspect yet because he has not been charged, but prosecutors in court told the judge they intend to rush file this case.

“The defendant has significant criminal history, much of it misdemeanor history, but that history includes order violations, assault and behavior, etc.,” a prosecutor said in court, “He’s also got a felony conviction recently for felony harassment – that case happened in 2020.”

Prosecutors also called the suspect an “obvious threat to community safety based on the allegations.”

“I don’t understand, over two dozen times, that doesn’t make any sense,” Fields said, “This man clearly needs help, letting him out to society is a danger – why do you keep letting him out?”

Before Tuesday’s fatal stabbing, the suspect’s most recent run-in with the law was a felony harassment and assault case for an incident in 2022 near Third and Pine streets.

Court records in that case state the suspect “told the victim he would kill him and then repeatedly hit the victim in the head with a rubber mallet” over a disagreement over the price of a pack of cigarettes he wanted to buy from the victim.

Prosecutors asked for him to be sentenced to the maximum of 364 days per state sentencing guidelines, but a judge sentenced him to 184 days in jail with credit for time served and two years unsupervised probation.

Misdemeanor cases, which make up the bulk of this suspect’s history, do not count towards an offender score when determining sentencing.

“I think it’s ridiculous when I hear stuff like that, somebody’s been in and out 28 times and they’re still around and to be doing something like that – it’s horrible,” Summer Power, who lives near where the murder happened, said.

According to court records, the suspect has prior offenses out of Pierce, Thurston and Snohomish counties as well, plus at least five convictions in Seattle Municipal Court.