Seattle Police Department
(SEATTLE) — A man was arrested after allegedly stealing an 80-year-old dog owner’s car, fatally wounding her and then stabbing her dog, police said.
James K. Hayes, a 48-year-old Seattle resident, was found and arrested Thursday morning for the murder of 80-year-old Ruth Dalton.
Police expect he will be charged with first-degree murder, murder during a robbery and cruelty to animals. He has eight previous felony convictions – including involuntary manslaughter in 1993 – and has a history of mental health issues.
According to police, he was carrying a blood-stained knife when he was arrested.
Police were able to identify the suspect after receiving a 911 call reporting a person was hurting a dog. An animal control officer arrived at the scene and found a dog stabbed to death. The dog was wearing a tag identifying the victim as the owner, and the victim’s car was found nearby.
Investigators at the crime scene were able to secure fingerprints on the victim’s phone in the car and identify the suspect.
Seattle police responded to a report of a car theft on Wednesday and found a citizen helping a woman who was stranded on the street.
Officers took over rescue efforts until the Seattle Fire Department arrived and took over. The victim died of his injuries on Wednesday, police said.
Witnesses told investigators that while driving, they observed a struggle between the woman and the suspect in the vehicle. The vehicle then left the road and the struggle between the two continued. The suspect attempted to push the victim out of the vehicle when she resisted, police said.
A witness then stopped the car on the street and came to her aid, at which point the suspect pulled out a knife. The witness then went back, got a stick or baseball bat and came back to help the woman, police said.
The car then began to drive across the road and crashed into two parked vehicles. The woman was struck in the accident. The suspect drove away from the scene and the victim was left on the road.
Police believe the suspect then drove to a park, stabbed the dog and fled on foot.
“We want to thank the community for the heroic actions of bystanders who happened to see this and tried to intervene,” said Eric Barden, deputy chief of the Seattle Police Department, during a press conference.
Police said they do not know how the suspect got into the car before the carjacking and said it is under investigation. Police do not believe the suspect and the victim knew each other – they believe it was a random incident.
There were at least two dogs in the car, one of which escaped.
“This is a tragic and horrific incident where a wonderful member of our community, at the age of 80, was active and actively involved in community life. This was taken from her, her family, her friends and the community by this senseless act of violence,” Barden said.
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