Granddaughter of carjacking victim glad judge denied bail

Accused carjacker has history of violence

Jahmed Haynes is facing murder, assault and animal cruelty charges in connection to the deadly carjacking of a beloved 80-year-old Seattle dog walker.

SEATTLE - A judge denied bail for the man accused of carjacking local dog walker Ruth Dalton, killing her earlier this week.

Jahmed Haynes, 48, is facing murder, assault and animal cruelty charges for the deaths of Ruth Dalton and her dog.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office rushed charges against him in order to make the request that he stays behind bars.

Dalton's granddaughter, Melanie Roberts, believes that no bail is appropriate for the suspect, and is frustrated that the state's "Three Strikes Rule" didn't apply in this case, since Haynes had eight previous felonies on his record.

"She was an amazing person," said Roberts.

She created an online memorial page for her grandmother and is stopping by the tree where a memorial has grown in the Madison Valley neighborhood where she died. A GoFundMe has also been created to honor Ruth.

"She was kind to everyone, it didn’t matter your status," said Roberts.

Police say Dalton died after Haynes stole her blue Subaru with dogs inside. Newly released charging documents state that he was, "quickly reversing it into multiple parked cars, effectively knocking Dalton’s body out of the car and onto the roadway. He was then observed driving over her body as he fled the scene."

Later, he allegedly ditched the car and stabbed Dalton's dog to death, leaving his body in a recycling bin at Brighton Playfield.

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"I don’t believe he should be out on the streets, I don’t believe he should have been out on the streets in the first place," said Roberts.

Documents show a long criminal history for Haynes, including a conviction in 1993 for killing a man in the Capitol Hill area.

Investigators say that Haynes was drinking and driving and hit two parked cars. They say he "maneuvered his vehicle onto a sidewalk, passing multiple vehicles and running a red light at an intersection."

The court papers state that he, "drove his vehicle into the driver’s side of another occupied vehicle, effectively ejecting the driver."

The victim in that case reportedly flew 100 feet, but instead of getting help, police say Haynes ran and jumped into a cab and asked to be taken to the Youth Services Detention Center, where police later arrested him.

His blood alcohol level was reported at .12. He was charged with vehicular homicide, but he pleaded guilty in exchange for a reduced sentence, only serving 17 months.

"Eight felony convictions. I don’t know where the three strikes rule went out, I don’t know why that didn’t apply," said Roberts.

King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office spokesperson Casey McNerthney explained why the three strikes rule didn't apply to Haynes.

"Lower-level felonies don’t count as strikes according to state lawmakers," said McNerthney. "The penalties for vehicular homicide were different in the early 90s than they are now, and also there is a lot of confusion that people have because the three strikes are different in all states in the union. In different states, three strikes mean different things. In Washington, it was one of the first in the union to have a three strikes law, and it is one of the narrowest."

Roberts said Dalton was a fiery woman, which is one of the things everyone loved about her.

"Somebody called her a pepper. They left a little pepper plant down at the memorial," said Roberts. "They said she left a pepper because she was spicy like a pepper, and it's completely true. I think the fire in her belly is what made her so great of an advocate for animals."

PETA is planning to honor Dalton by dedicating a golden leaf in her memory. Melanie also met with members of the community on Friday. They are trying to plan a memorial walk for Dalton in the Madison Park area. Details are still being worked out.