Seattle ax-murder suspect pleads not guilty

Ax-wielding murder suspect pleads not guilty

Identification will play a key role in the case against a man accused of violently murdering a homeless person with an ax.

SEATTLE - Identification will play a key role in the case against a man accused of violently murdering a homeless person with an ax.

Suspect Liam Kryger pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder charge against him during an arraignment Wednesday at the King County Courthouse.

On Feb. 22, the body of Daravuth Van was found in an alley next to Town Hall Seattle, located in the First Hill neighborhood. Detectives said 52-year-old Van, who was experiencing homelessness, was sleeping on blankets when he was killed. Court documents mentioned Van was found with a large gash on the right side of his head.

"The information further alleges that you committed that crime while armed with a deadly weapon, an ax," said one prosecutor during Kryger’s arraignment.

The Seattle Police Department’s Video Unit gathered surveillance video from several businesses and apartments to investigate the night in question. Court documents said a suspect was caught on camera "casing the area" where Van was located for a couple of hours.

Detectives said the video showed a suspect "walking slowly and looking around as he approached Van's location, and then, after again confirming that there were no witnesses, he swings a long-handled weapon in a downward motion in the area where Van was lying."

On March 2, Seattle detectives observed a person who matched the suspect's description. Court documents said the person had a "dark tubular object hanging down his side." As detectives followed the man, officials said he ran away and threw the object into a bush. The object was determined to be a "Project Source"-branded ax.

During their investigation, detectives learned Project Source was "sold exclusively by Lowe's, and that their records indicated that brand ax was last sold to a customer on February 9, 2024. Lowe's was able to provide video footage of the customer purchasing the ax."

Prosecutors said police shared screenshots of the Lowe’s video on a law enforcement bulletin page to help search for the suspect. Court documents explained during the investigation an officer who is a family friend of Kryger’s saw the bulletin and identified him to detectives. The 25-year-old was arrested March 3 near his home in Seattle.

Court documents said detectives showed Kryger several pictures of a suspect casing the area of the scene on the day Van was killed. Prosecutors said Kryger admitted to detectives the person in the pictures was him.

Despite the surveillance video and identification from an officer, Kryger’s attorneys argued there is not enough evidence to prove their client is guilty of murder.

"It appears clear to counsel that there is an identification issue at this case. Mr. Kryger was allegedly identified using surveillance video, and I do not see anything in the probable cause certification that identifies any other sort of eyewitness or pre-established relationship that identifies Mr. Kryger," said a defense attorney.

Kryger’s attorneys requested the court not allow the media to record his face, arguing identification will be key in this case moving forward. Judge David Freeman granted their request. During the arraignment, the attorneys stood in front of their client to block him from cameras.

Prosecutors argued Kryger has a history of violence, even with his own family. Prosecutors said Kryger was previously charged with assault and trespassing in 2019. During that time, prosecutors said detectives spoke with Kryger's mother, who explained her son brandished "a 12-inch kitchen knife, which he attempted to use to stab his father. When his mother intervened, [Kryger] threatened to cut off her hands and asked her to choose which eye he should cut out. [Kryger] then threatened to kill both of his parents."

Charging documents also quoted his mother from her 2019 testimony, saying, "this is not the first time he has come in our home while we are asleep and threatened us. It has been one year since he came in our home with an ax and stood over our bed and threatened us in our sleep."