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872 stories matching murder
- The Murder Foretold: Three Japanese Laborers Held Without Bail
A witness testifies that one suspect predicted the killing hours in advance, and a bloody butcher knife is found in a kitchen wall. Three Japanese men are ordered held without bail for the murder of a Japanese boss near Christopher.
- The Murder in the Bunkhouse North of Auburn
A young Japanese labor contractor was beaten and killed as he slept in a cabin on J.W. Nails's farm; a roommate was jailed while blood trails, a loaded musket and an opium pipe deepened the mystery.
- A Son Takes the Stand Against His Father in a Seattle Murder Trial
Prosecutors in the second Wilcox trial alleged that Charlotte Fetting's murder was a conspiracy involving her son-in-law—and the witnesses included the son-in-law's own teenage son.
- A Wooden Pistol Emptied the King County Jail
Thomas Blanck, awaiting appeal for murder, locked the night jailer in a cell and walked out with eight other prisoners—armed with a black wooden fake.
- Masked Vigilantes Hang a Convicted Murderer in Dayton Jail
James McPherson, convicted of murdering E. H. Cummins at New York Bar, was taken from the Dayton jail by masked men and hanged, despite a governor's reprieve and a new trial order.
- The Telegraph Messenger Who Walked Away
In the wake of a gruesome Portland murder, Seattle police arrest a young messenger boy while his accomplices flee. But one suspect vanishes before the law can catch him.
- The Meller Murder Trial: A Widower’s Sobs and a Defendant’s Blank Stare
George Craemer goes on trial for the murder of Mrs. Meller, as her husband and two young daughters watch the jury chosen and the prosecutor promises to tie a hammer to the defendant.
- The Price of a Human Life
A Seattle newspaper critiques the wildly inconsistent sentencing for murder in Washington Territory, highlighting how local bias and venue changes drastically altered justice for accused killers.
- The Hammer in the Kitchen
A killer waited until the men left for a labor-hall meeting, then entered a Seattle house, beat Mrs. Miller and her baby to death, looted a valise, and set the place ablaze.
- The Accused Killer Who Wrote to Seattle Police
Oluf Ellingson was found on the Lake Washington shore with his throat cut and a razor in his hand. Four years later, suspect Tony Miller’s letter still insisted he was coming back to clear his name.
- Hanged on a Doubt: Washington Territory's First White Execution
When John Thompson was hanged in Seattle in 1877, many believed he was guilty of manslaughter, not murder. The Dispatch made the case that the law had taken a life it should have spared.
- The Hangman's Verdict: John Thompson Convicted of Murder in Snohomish
A trial that captivated the entire Territory ends with a death sentence for a man accused of killing his friend during a drunken brawl over a card game.
- The Iron Hotel: Seattle's Jail Let Convicted Killers Wait Out the Law
A 1905 exposé inside the King County jail found convicted murderers lingering for years in a steel cage while appeals stalled, one prisoner fashioning a pistol from a shoe shank and escaping, and taxpayers footing the bill.
- The Bloody Hammer and the Brewer's Wife
Seattle prosecutors rest their murder case against Craemer after a courtroom day of fire, hidden gold, and a suspect whose hands shook at the sight of the weapon.
- The Man Who Couldn't Sleep: A Murderer's Five-Year Nightmare Ends in Seattle
William Devitt, a fugitive from a Pennsylvania railroad murder, surrenders to Seattle police after five years of wandering the South, claiming his conscience has finally caught up with him.
- A Funeral Crowd Calls for a Killer's Neck
Thousands filed past the bodies of Philipina Miller and her child as Seattle police rushed the accused murderer to the county jail to stop a lynching.
- A Tin Box of Gold Hidden in the Rafters
South Seattle police say the hammer that killed a mother and her baby belonged to Henry Cramer — and the money taken from the dead woman's house was stashed in his shed. Now the neighbours are talking about a rope.
- A Farmer Vanishes in the Night, and a Secret Order Is Blamed
Charles Gloystein was called from his Spokane County home at midnight. Weeks later all that has surfaced is his battered, bloody hat — and the editor points straight at the oath-bound Freemen's Silver Protective Federation.
- The Cloroform Clue in the Felling Murder
A specific bottle shape found at a murder scene leads investigators to a Tacoma drug store, renewing interest in a local killing.
- A Father's Vengeance: The Killing of the Muckleshoot Medicine Man
When three of Jerry Domnick's children died under Jim Bouchitt's care, the grieving father took a rifle into the woods — and the healer was found buried under a log near Soos Creek.
- The Price of a 'Bad Man's' Temper
A Seattle newspaper editorial rails against a lenient verdict for a saloon regular who murdered a bartender over a perceived slight.
- Death to Traitors: The Farmer Who Refused the Oath
Charles F. Gloystein vanished after he refused to join a secret Silver Federation lodge. Washington newspapers called it political murder—but no body was found.
- A Convicted Killer's Second Chance: New Trial Granted After Juror Admits Prejudice
The state Supreme Court overturns Wilcox's manslaughter conviction in the brutal Fetting murder case, citing a juror swayed by newspaper coverage.
- A Jury Played Cards While a Murder Case Hung in the Balance
Convicted murderer Murphy was sentenced to fifteen years—again—as his lawyer attacked a jury that reportedly spent its 42-hour deliberation playing whist and pedro.
- Three Men, One Interpreter, and a Murder They All Deny
In the county jail, Japanese laborers finally tell their side of the Mayeda killing—and one points the finger at a man who was never arrested.
Also about this, in other words
- Was it Murder or Manslaughter?
A Seattle newspaper criticizes a jury's decision to convict William Wilcox of manslaughter instead of murder for the death of Mrs. Charlotte Petting.
- A Murderer’s Risky Gamble for Freedom
After being convicted of a brutal killing, a man wins a new trial, only to face the possibility of a harsher sentence.
- The Anatomy of a Murder (Misunderstood)
A courtroom blunder in 1876 highlights how a simple misunderstanding can derail the pursuit of justice.
- A Convicted Killer's Last Chance at the King County Bar
Defense attorney Melvin G. Wylie attacks the murder conviction of Holmes for the killing of William Russell, while Prosecutor Miller fights to keep the verdict.
- Brutal Murder on the Columbia
A Chinese miner is found murdered near the Columbia River, sparking a manhunt for his countryman who coveted his gold dust.
- Testimony Unfolds in Local Murder Trial
A witness claims the defendant expressed intent to kill over a financial dispute in the Northern Pacific freight yards.
- A Murder Case Cleared in Hours: Peter Brickley Sentenced to Life
In a swift Prosser court session, Brickley was tried and sentenced for the June killing of Charles Rasmussen, while other defendants pleaded or were acquitted.
- A Fatal Quarrel Over a Wife Goes to the Jury in Okanogan
Max Haas's murder trial ends after midnight, with a packed courtroom waiting on the verdict.