(Texted photo)

Thanks to everyone who texted about a big police response on the west side of California SW north of Alaska. We just talked to SPD at the scene. They explained that a man was being disruptive – including banging on windows as if he was going to break them – and then fled when officers tried to catch up with them; once they did, a struggle ensued, so they called for backup, and that’s why the big response. The suspect eventually was taken into custody, SPD says, and will be booked for investigation of obstruction and trespassing (police say he had been kicked out of at least one business).

1:31 PM: Police and fire are responding to a report of two people stabbed at 30th/Cambridge [map], just west of Roxhill Park. Updates to come.

1:35 PM: Police are looking for at least one vehicle in connection with this – described as a newer silver SUV, possibly a Nissan Murano. They confirm there are two victims, describing as “one in a fight that got stabbed, one who we’re interviewing right now.”

1:44 PM: SFD has reduced its response size; we’ll be checking with them regarding conditions. No further info from police yet regarding suspect(s)/circumstances.

1:47 PM: Police have just said the suspect(s) and victims in this “are all juveniles” and they’ve checked the parking lots at nearby schools but no sign of the involved vehicle.

2:02 PM: They are looking for a teenage girl and apparently have her name.

2:50 PM: SFD says its medics treated a 17-year-old girl who was in stable condition when taken to the hospital and a 15-year-old girl with “minor injuries” who did not want to go to a hospital.

ADDED 5:17 PM: We followed up with SPD too. Det. Eric Muñoz noted, “There is a family relationship between the suspect and stabbing victim, making this a domestic violence-related incident. Another female juvenile victim sustained minor injuries (scratches); and was treated on scene. Video surveillance was obtained by officers. The weapon used was not located. The 16-year-old suspect fled the scene and was not located. Police are actively searching for her. Police are also looking for another involved male suspect; his involvement in this incident is under investigation.”

6:28 PM: SPD confirms the suspect has just been arrested.

Two reader reports so far today:

ROCK THROWN: From T:

I live at an apartment on Edmunds and 42nd Ave SW. About 3:15 am, a rock was thrown into our sliding glass door and shattered it. It landed in my dog’s bowl and broke that too. There is glass all over the living room – I was asleep on the couch when this happened.

If anyone saw anything, a police report has been filed.

The temporary number for that is T00017786.

DUMPED TABLETS: Sent by M:

Wanted to let readers know that I found 2 tablets dumped in the street near 35th & Trenton this morning.
One was a kid’s and one was an adult’s, based on the cases. The adult’s tablet seems to still function. The kid’s one seems damaged though. If they can identify the brand of the tablet and describe the cases, happy to get them reunited with the owner!

Email or text us and we’ll connect you.

Sent by LDP this morning:

Reporting a stolen 2017 Lexus RX – gray. License plate ending in 281. Has a child’s car seat in back. Per video we obtained, stolen near Petco in the Alaska Junction area on 41st at 1 am on Thursday, November 21st. Thief who stole the vehicle was dropped off by what looks like a white sedan. Appreciate everyone keeping an eye out for it. Still no word from police about the whereabouts of the vehicle. But please do call 911 if you see it.

We’ll add the SPD incident # for reference when we get it.

12:54 PM: Sent by Barb:

I am writing to report a pair of high-end, carbon-fiber kayaks were stolen from across the street from Lincoln Park two weeks ago. I have attached photos of them. They are worth, used, about 2k apiece. They are in good condition and there is a reward being offered for information of $500 to anyone who gives the name of the thief and their location to the police or myself, leading to their recovery. They are both 16′ long. One is a Sega Revenge and the other is a Steller 16.5.

You can reach Barb at 206.851.6244.

5:09 PM: Here’s her SPD incident number – 24-331535.

1:50 AM: Police are converging on the 35th/Avalon 7-11 after a report of yet another holdup. The only description so far: Four robbers, Black, male, black clothing, black masks, at least one armed, last seen heading eastbound on Avalon in a “silver sedan.”

12:08 PM: Here’s the SPD summary of this robbery:

At 0144 hours, walked in the 7-11 located at the 3200 BLK of SW Avalon Wy. The clerk was in the freezer area. A suspect with a long gun walked up to the clerk and put him at gunpoint. The suspects demanded that the clerk unlock the money bin. The suspects took over $150.00 from the till and Swishers. The suspects left Eastbound on SW Avalon Wy. Officers quickly arrived, and secured the scene. Fingerprints were lifted from the scene, and the SPD Robbery Unit was notified. Guardian 1 wasn’t in service.

The three suspects arrested Friday night, hours after a robbery rampage including two West Seattle holdups, are now charged. And documents accompanying the charges say two of them are under investigation for three West Seattle 7-11 robberies, too. And those documents confirm the “11-year-old” is actually a few years older.

First – 21-year-old Tyzavius Holmes of Top Hat and 19-year-old Amarri Lard of Auburn are each charged with four counts of first-degree robbery for the four holdups on Friday morning, including the Space Age gas station at 35th/Holden and the Fauntleroy Shell station; the last one is the one for which the charging documents feature these images (and many others from the series).

The charging documents say Holmes had only been out of jail a month in relation to other matters:

Mr. Holmes’s criminal history includes convictions for Theft of Motor Vehicle (2024); Possession of Stolen Property in the Second Degree (2024); Identity Theft in the Second Degree (2024); Attempted Robbery in the Second Degree (Juvenile – 2021 x2); Unlawful Possession of a Firearm in the Second Degree (Juvenile – 2019); Robbery in the First Degree (Juvenile – 2019); Residential Burglary (Juvenile – 2018); Assault in the Fourth Degree (2024); Theft in the Third Degree (2024 x2; Juvenile – 2018); and Vehicle Prowling in the Second Degree (2024). Mr. Holmes was released from the King County Jail on October 11, 2024, after being sentenced for three felonies and four gross misdemeanors.

Lard had no conviction history, prosecutors say. The probable-cause documents filed with the charging papers say the two also are suspected in the November 2nd Admiral 7-11 robbery, the November 7th Junction 7-11 robbery, and the November 13th Avalon 7-11 robbery; those cases are still being reviewed for possible charges. Adult suspects Lard and Holmes remain in jail in lieu of $400,000 bail, with arraignment set for December 4.

The juvenile suspect is described in these documents as 13, not 11, in line with what we found when researching his background earlier this week (as reported here) – he turns 14 tomorrow. He’s charged (as a juvenile, so we are not publishing his name) with four counts of first-degree robbery plus one count of making a false statement to a public official, for lying about his name and age after his arrest on Friday. He remains in secure detention pending arraignment tomorrow (Thursday).

5:04 PM: The three armed-robbery suspects arrested Friday night, hours after a series of holdups including two in West Seattle, appeared in court this afternoon. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says a judge found probable cause for holding all three for investigation of four counts of first-degree robbery. $400,000 bail was requested and set for the two adult suspects, 21 and 19; the 11-year-old suspect (who turns 12 later this month) will remain in secure custody for now (bail is not a factor in juvenile cases).

The four robberies happened in the span of less than an hour and a half, starting at 5:25 am Friday morning on East Marginal Way, continuing on Rainier Avenue less than 15 minutes later, then on to West Seattle an hour after that one, with a holdup at Space Age (35th/Holden) followed 10 minutes later at the Shell station in The Triangle. Investigators allege they took cash and tobacco products in the robberies, and that at least one wielded a rifle. The probable-cause documents say they were tracked down an hour after the final robbery because someone flagged down police about an abandoned blue Kia (stolen from a SeaTac hotel), and had dashcam video showing an associated silver Hyundai with California plates. A law-enforcement bulletin was issued for the Hyundai, eventually chased and found near Spring/Harvard, with the three suspects then arrested. While the images in the document copies aren’t usable, investigators say they have security-camera images linking the suspects to the robberies because of the clothing they were wearing. The KCPAO says the two adult suspects are due back in court Wednesday, while the next hearing for the juvenile suspect is on Thursday.

ADDED 6:10 PM: Court records show the juvenile suspect is also being held on a warrant from a case for which he got a suspended sentence just last month. The records in that case, however, show him as 13, rather than 11, though that doesn’t make a difference in the case. It was an eerily similar robbery rampage back in July, with four robbers hitting three stores – two in Tukwila, one in Renton – in a short time span. Four juveniles were arrested – this one, and three others, ages 14 and 15. This suspect plea-bargained to reduced charges and got a suspended 15- to 36-week sentence, with credit for three months in custody. But five days after that sentencing in mid-October, he allegedly violated terms of supervision/release, and a warrant was issued to consider possibly revoking the suspension.

Three more West Seattle Crime Watch reports this morning, starting with two from west of The Junction:

DUMPED MAIL: The report and photos are from Emy:

We discovered some presumably stolen and dumped bundles of USPS mail in the alley between 50th and 51st, between Edmunds and Alaska.

They didn’t retrieve it for safekeeping or turning in because “there is a ton of it ruined by the rain and ran over and scattered through the muddy alley.” But if you’re in the area and are missing mail, you might go take a look at the address ranges.

P.S. If you see something like this – or suspect your mail’s been stolen – you can contact the US Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455.

CAR BREAK-IN: Reported by Brianna:

Our car was parked outside our home on 48th and Oregon last night. This morning we found it ransacked. The glove compartment and console were open and all contents sprawled across the seats. Not sure yet what if anything is missing, but just wanted people to be aware!

And from Highland Park:

ANOTHER CAR TARGETED: This was sent by Corey:

I wanted to report an incident from around 5 AM this morning. This happened in the south end of the Highland Park neighborhood 18th and Trenton. Our neighbors’ car window was shattered by this guy seen in the videos.

He smashes the back passenger side window, but then walks away. He looks like he he’s going to go back but then changes his mind and turns back and goes south. Not sure if he was attempting to steal the car or something in the car, but when talking to the neighbors, there was nothing inside the car. In the second video, he goes out of frame, comes back and looks right at the camera. Unfortunately zooming does not give a clear (view). If anyone has any information, please let us know in the comments.

5:04 AM: Just got a call from someone who says there’s someone driving around Admiral shooting at vehicles. Their pickup truck has bullet damage, near 44th/Stevens, and they’ve heard of more than half a dozen others. We’ll be following up.

10:18 AM: Added a photo from the original caller, showing bullet holes in their truck. Other reports of bullet damage – and hearing the gunfire – are in comments below; the police-call log has reports of damage from locations including the 4500 block of 47th SW, the 3800 block of 51st SW, and the 4400 block of 48th SW. We have a message out to SPD to see if they have an overview summary available.

ADDED 2:40 PM: Here’s the information police provided – suggesting that the gunfire might be linked to car prowls:
*3:40 am, the original call was for shots heard near the PCC parking lot – that’s where officers found the shot-up pickup truck with “two bullet holes on the left side of the windshield (and) multiple bullet holes on the driver side window and door of the vehicle. … On further inspection of the damages spent bullet casings were found near and around the pickup truck. Bullets recovered from the scene were submitted for evidence. … A witness from a nearby residence stated that they observed two individuals come out of a vehicle. The two suspects were wearing black hoodies and were facing east in front of the truck. The description of the vehicle was a dark sedan, and a Lyft sign on the back of the vehicle. (The witness) believes that the vehicle sped off east on Stevens onto California Av Sw.
While investigating this incident, additional reports of shots being fired in the near area started to come out. Officers then directed themselves to those locations where additional damages to other vehicles were found.”

Another officer, while responding to a shots-heard report, “noticed one vehicle parked at 50 AV SW / SW Spokane ST, with its rear (drivers) door open. The vehicle … appeared to have been gone through. The second vehicle was parked at XXXX 48 AV SW, with a WA plate … This vehicle had its driver’s side window busted out and the vehicle appeared to have been gone through.” That officer then went to a shooting scene in the 3600 block of 50th SW to assist in collecting casings.

Yet another officer talked to “the registered owners of three victim vehicles, all of which appeared to have been prowled during the incident” on 51st SW. One person who heard four “loud bangs” saw an unfamiliar vehicle and a person outside it who got into a passenger seat before the vehicle left. Officers found smashed windows on three cars. The only item missing – that officers were told about – was a pair of headphones.

4:15 PM: Last night after two more robberies in unincorporated areas just outside Seattle, police pursued and arrested suspects when the chase ended in Capitol Hill. Here’s the SPD summary:

Seattle Police Officers arrested a 21-year-old, 19-year-old, and 11-year-old wanted for a string of robberies in Seattle and surrounding jurisdictions.

During these robberies, the suspects entered the businesses armed with firearms, stole merchandise and cash, before fleeing in stolen vehicles.

Friday evening at approximately 8:30 p.m., the same suspects committed an additional armed robbery in a surrounding jurisdiction. The suspects were pursued in a silver Hyundai by Tukwila Police into Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood. The pursuit spanned through multiple jurisdictions and involved several agencies including King County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol, and Tukwila Police Department.

The males stopped and ran from the stolen car around Spring Street and Harvard Avenue. Officers from Community Response Group (CRG), South, East, Southwest, and K9 Unit contained the area with the assistance of KCSO Guardian One, KCSO K9, and Tukwila PD.

All three suspects were taken into custody without incident and no firearms were located.

Two men were booked into King County Jail, one boy was booked into Judge Patricia H. Clark Children & Family Justice Center, all for investigation of robbery.

The robberies reported last night were in Skyway and just south of South Park. This was hours after a series of robberies early Friday including two in West Seattle. We won’t know before next week which incidents these suspects might face charges in.

5:08 PM: The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says the suspects aren’t expected to have their first court appearances until Monday.

Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:

BUILDING BURGLARY: From OT:

On November 10th at 12:31 AM, someone broke into our apartment building located near 35th Ave SW and Morgan St (High Point/Fairmount Park area).

The intruder wore a light brown Carhartt beanie on his head, a black-and-brown plaid flannel shirt obscuring a shirt with a visual design on the front, gray cargo shorts, and black Adidas sneakers with white stripes. He also wore thick rings on the middle and ring fingers of his right hand. After peering into the lobby through the doors, he took out some kind of small tool from his right pocket – possibly a long screwdriver – then managed to force the door open. He entered the lobby, grabbed a box left sitting out, looked down the hallways in search of more packages to steal, then left the building. If anyone has information on who this man is, the police report number is 2024-944975.

HIT AND RUN: From RM, who says this happened early Tuesday, just before 2 am:

Attached is a video of a hit and run accident in front of my house. We don’t know who the driver is but we know that the car is a teal Toyota FJ Cruiser. In total that we know of, he totaled two cars and damaged another one north of this accident. We need your help finding the culprit of the crime. And in addition my laptop was stolen from the trunk.

This happened in the 7700 block of Delridge Way SW; the SPD incident # is 24-319356.

2:03 PM: After reports of a police pursuit northbound on 16th SW and onto the eastbound West Seattle Bridge in the 7:30-8 am vicinity this morning, we asked SPD for more information. They’ve just provided it via SPD Blotter, detailing a series of robberies including two in West Seattle:

Seattle Police are searching for suspects in a string of robberies targeting businesses in South and Southwest Seattle.

Early this morning, a group of people dressed in face masks and dark clothing entered convenience stores and gas stations in and around Georgetown, Rainier Valley, High Point, and West Seattle neighborhoods armed with firearms. In each robbery the suspect/suspects displayed weapons at store employees. In some incidents they demanded cash.

The suspects fled with stolen merchandise and cash. No one was injured.

A blue Kia sedan, believed to be related to the robberies, was recovered from 16th Avenue South and East Marginal Way South. A witness reported seeing the vehicle driving erratically before hitting a curb. Officers found the vehicle disabled and unoccupied. The car was an unreported stolen vehicle and will be processed for evidence.

Seattle Police Robbery Unit Detectives arrived at the scene and are leading the investigation. No suspects are in custody currently.

If anyone has information, please contact Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.

The robberies occurred in the following locations:

Incident Number 2024-323332. At 5:25 a.m., in the 7200 block of East Marginal Way South.

Incident Number 2024-323336. At 5:37 a.m., in the 2800 block of Rainier Avenue South.

Incident Number 2024-323367. At 6:40 a.m., in the 7500 block of 35th Avenue Southwest.

Incident Number 2024-323372. At 6:50 a.m., in the 4500 block of Fauntleroy Way Southwest.
We’re still trying to find out exactly how the vehicle that was being pursued onto the bridge factored into this, as archived radio indicates that at one point, officers were looking for two vehicles described as a “silver sedan” and “dark KIA.”

3:33 PM: Listening back to the archived audio, once the police summary provided us with the incident times, two notes: First, the robbery locations in West Seattle were Space Age and Fauntleroy Shell; two, what’s believed to be the same robbery “crew” also showed up at the Junction 7-11, but the doors were locked, so they left.

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9:47 PM: Police are back at the 35th/Avalon 7-11 after another robbery in the past 15 minutes or so. Three people are reported to have gotten away with the store’s register. Two are described as Black, male, black face masks, black shirts, blue jeans, 5-9, 170, and the third is described only as female. The two male robbers are said to have implied weapons but none were actually seen.

10:08 PM: Officers just told dispatch the store will be closed for a while because Robbery Unit detectives are going there to investigate further.

ADDED: One more bit of info – they might have gotten away in a black Kia headed NB on 35th.

Two incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch:

YET ANOTHER 7-11 ROBBERY: The 35th/Avalon 7-11 was held up again early today, shortly after midnight. Police say two “masked male subjects dressed in all-black clothing with black ski masks, walked into the store and both male subjects pointed a handgun at” the clerk and told him not to move. One then jumped over the counter, opened the register and started taking out money, while the other grabbed merchandise. Between cash and merchandise, they got away with less than $200. They pointed a gun at the clerk again as they left and then got in a blue Kia that might have had a third person in it, taking off southbound on 35th.

STOLEN WORK TRUCK: Be on the lookout for a 2004 white Chevy Silverado 2500 Ext Cab with black mesh sides and a logo for Emerald Streak Landscaping and the phone number 206-356-2920. It was stolen from Metropolitan Market‘s parking lot at 1:30 pm last Friday. If you have any info, the police report # is 24-317036. (added) Plate is E36198M.

Jenn and Zach at the new-ish Aimee Owenz food truck (35th/Barton) report:

We wanted to let West Seattle know our food truck was broken into and some items were stolen It happened Saturday or Sunday night. The incident number is 24-944866, if anyone knows or saw anything. A few things were taken and our door, fence, and windows were damaged. Someone also tried to steal my brother’s truck while it was parked on the street (nearby, on Barton), Wednesday night as well. They were not successful, but broke the ignition switch. We just finished our first month and are so excited yet this is super frustrating as a new small business.

Close call this morning near 11th and Elmgrove [vicinity map]. According to the SPD summary, they were called to the area just before 6 am, after reports that people heard possible gunfire. First they found a 9mm casing, Then they found two bullet holes in the front window of an occupied home, and subsequently found the bullets that had come through the window. No injuries reported. Some 911 callers thought they had heard a vehicle speeding away after the shots, but nobody had a description, and police couldn’t find relevant video in the area. If you have any information, the incident # is 24-319426. This is two blocks from the early-morning gunfire reported three days ago.

9:52 AM: For those wondering about the police response near Our Lady of Guadalupe at 34th/Myrtle – we don’t have details on the circumstances that preceded it, but police have arrested a suspect and recovered a stolen pickup truck. Emergency radio exchanges indicated that a struggle during the arrest led to a call for backup. The suspect is being taken to the hospital for evaluation; the stolen vehicle’s owner has been notified. (added) The vehicle was stolen from South Delridge.

10:36 AM: A texter says they called 911 because the suspect was apparently trying to steal another truck at 34th/Myrtle. “I just happened to be standing in my front door when he pulled up … he got out of (a) Dakota and got into (a) Tahoe and visibly started pounding on the ignition.”

Two reader reports:

STOLEN SATURN: DW hopes you can help find their car:

Between the last time my car was seen around 3 pm Wednesday, Nov 7th, and the following morning, my car was stolen from where I normally park it in the North Admiral neighborhood. The car is a red 4-door sedan-style 1999 Saturn SL with a black bra.

If anyone sees this vehicle or saw it in the last two days, please provide this information to the police, (# is 24-316848).

ABANDONED LAWN MOWER: John spotted this at the top of the stairs, 14th/Holden:

The photo and stolen-car report are from Anna:

The vehicle is a bright red 2016 Kia Soul. WA license plate #AXD9342. There are some white scrape marks along the lefthand/driver’s side. There are five bumper stickers on the back: two blue/yellow ones for Gary Johnson, one purple that reads “Proud Musical Theatre Nerd,” one white that says “Well-behaved women seldom make history,” and one green that says “Delgado.”

The car was stolen sometime between 9:30 pm on Wednesday 11/6 and 11:30 am Thursday 11/7 from the garage of my residential building located on California Ave SW and SW Mills Street (a few blocks from the Thriftway). … I can be contacted at 425-208-5127 or artatelman@gmail.com. Appreciate any tips!

The neighboring building’s garage had a break-in and Anna says they’re wondering if there’s a link. Police report # for her theft is 24-316493.

(SDOT camera image from shortly after crash)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

That was the scene on the West Seattle Bridge on the early morning of March 22, 2023, when Delfino Lopez-Morales, now 37, killed two 18-year-olds – Riley Danard and Khalea Thoeuk. Prosecutors say Lopez-Morales was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes, under the influence of alcohol and THC, speeding up to 100 mph, when his pickup smashed into their car.

After pleading guilty in August to two felony counts of vehicular homicide and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving, today Lopez-Morales – now 37 – was sentenced by King County Superior Court Judge Angela Kaake, before a full courtroom downtown. We watched the hearing via Zoom.

Senior deputy prosecutor Adam Eucker began by saying the prosecution was recommending 148 months (just over 12 years) – the high end of the sentencing range for the felonies, plus a year for the misdemeanor, calling the crash deaths “incredibly tragic. … This was an incredibly violent collision, and two young lives were lost …” They called witnesses from the victims’ families. One of Riley’s relatives, Dave Johnson, spoke of the “lost potential” and how this will affect both families “for the rest of their lives.”

(Photo via GoFundMe)

Riley’s grandmother spoke next, reading a statement from Riley’s mom, her daughter: “They were both young bright souls with their lives ahead of them …” She spoke of Riley’s photography and music skills, sense of humor, and work ethic. “He was always going out of his way to help others.” She talked about picking him up at places and saying “someday I won’t be picking you up, because you’ll be driving me … That day never came.” She also spoke about Khalea, Riley’s best friend, who’d known him since grade school, as “a ray of light.” The “pain of losing a child is unimaginable,” the mom’s statement continued, saying that she believes this should be treated as “first-degree murder. … As a grieving parent, all I ask for is justice for my son and his best friend.” She said – perhaps explaining her absence – that she was unable to stand the thought of being in the same courtroom as Riley and Khalea’s killer.

Riley’s older sister wept on the stand that she sees her brother in her dreams every night and then remembers he’s gone; she works in West Seattle and for so long could not cross the bridge without breaking down. “Because of the deadly actions of a random drunk driver, Riley and Khalea will never get to do anything again. … They were killed for nothing and we are left here trying to pick up the pieces.” His other sister said she is heartbroken that she’ll never see his face or hear his laugh again. She spoke of the final moments she shared with her brother on his birthday hours before he was killed. “The last words we said to each other were ‘I love you’.” She pleaded for a long sentence.

Then Khalea’s family and friends spoke, first an aunt, who spoke on behalf of her mom: “My soul’s been shattered into a million pieces … The moment I was told over the phone that (Khalea was dead … everything) went dark, cold, and empty. … She had plans for her future that were cruelly extinguished in an instant. (She did) not get to graduate high school or start college. … The ripple effects of this tragedy” have affected far more than the family, she said, saying it’s vital that people understand the ramification of decisions to use alcohol or drugs and get behind the family.”

(Photo via GoFundMe)

A friend of both victims asked, “Why were their lives cut short?” while others are still there. She spoke of seeing Khalea everywhere she goes, everything she does. She spoke of going to Riley’s grave, “watching the wind rustle your windchime.” His belongings remain untouched in his room. She spoke of petty complaints about life, “the most trivial details …. only to realize that some of these things I complain about, they never had a chance to experience.” She mentioned that although the charges were dismissed, Lopez-Morales had been caught driving under the influence before, and “it’s clear he has no remorse.”

Another friend sent a letter that was read, speaking of how Khalea stayed with friends’ families because her family had moved to Whidbey Island but she wanted to finish out the year at her high school. She said it could have been her in the car too, “any other day it would have been.” She spoke of the pain of telling others what had happened, and the pain of never getting to share milestones in life with them. “They will never get to move past 18. … All it took was one split-second to change the trajectory of their life and everyone around them.”

The next friend of both victims said both were passionate, smart, and driven, with a future. She still wears Riley’s shirt to bed, and talks to both of them. She said she has been diagnosed with a trauma-processing disorder since their deaths and has had “countless functional seizures” that have affected her studies, and her entire life. The weight of the grief and the weight of her disability both weigh unimaginably heavily on her. “I don’t know if this outcome will bring justice …” she said, acknowledging that what Lopez-Morales did weighs heavily on his family too. She implored the judge to “consider the circumstances” in which the crash happened. “It shouldn’t be a privilege to have known them, but a privilege to watch them grow.”

Another family friend: “The pain resonates through our entire community, not only Snohomish, but also West Seattle. … A little over two weeks ago, Khalea should have been celebrating her 20th birthday. … Riley never got to spend a single day as an adult.” She shared photos taken when she and another family member went to the tow yard to identify the vehicle. “Nothing could have prepared me for the devastating reality of that wreckage … knowing that people we loved died that way.” She read statements from other community members who could not attend. That included one who saw what they believe was Lopez-Morales driving recklessly before the crash, calling 911 and being told others had called. They followed him for about seven minutes in hope of getting him off the road but he was going too fast and lost him. 911 told her that police were out looking for them. Then the next morning she read about the crash and her heart sank. “It breaks my heart to know they were coming to enjoy the beautiful beachfront that West Seattle has to offer … These were not merely statistics. They were Khalea and Riley.”

Yet another friend said “it goes against everything sacred,” to outlive a child. She read an aunt’s statement: “In an instant our world was turned upside down. … Each moment serves as a reminder of their absence. … We plead for awareness, for the ability to change.” She asked that the judge remember the victims had no choice, while the offender did. “We are here to influence change and to ask you to impose the heaviest sentence the law allows.”

Another aunt of Khalea’s said the “depth of our agony is unimaginable .. we are haunted by an emptiness” and a loss that they feel acutely daily. “This isn’t just grief, it’s a permanent wound for us all.” She lamented the “preventable cruelty of it all” and thanked the judge for listening to the “raw pain.”

She was the last prosecution speaker, and a slideshow set to music was then played. (This wasn’t shown on the video feed, so we can’t describe it.) Then, the courtroom went on break. The judge read more letters during the break, and turned it over to the defense after gaveling court back to order.

Lopez-Morales’s lawyer said he agreed that DUI is a scourge and hopes that at least one person will think twice about this sort of “horrible decision” after seeing and hearing about the devastation it caused in his case. He said his client does have remorse, guilt, and regret. Would it have been justice for him to die in the crash too? That would have been easier than dealing with the ramifications of the crash for the rest of his life. He contended that a harsher sentence would not be more validating of the victims’ lives – “you can’t quantify a human life … Sentencing is not about putting a value on a human life.” He asked for 102 months and noted that will be all the more impactful because Lopez-Morales has health issues (he’s in a wheelchair) including cerebral palsy. He has no criminal-conviction history, it was noted. He contended that his client “is not the worst of the worst.” He also said Lopez-Morales’s injuries left him with no memories of what happened.

He read a statement from the defendant’s nephew, saying he “always showed up to help me” throughout his life and that he talks almost daily with Lopez-Morales by phone about “bettering themselves.” That nephew then rose to speak, saying his uncle “is human” and he wanted the families of the victims to know that. “I’m so sorry for all the loss that Delfino caused.”

A niece-in-law spoke next, saying she “had a different respect for him” as he lived his life as a disabled man (the nephew had said the defendant was born with cerebral palsy). She said she hoped the sentencing would go “for the fairness of everyone here.”

His sister then spoke, talking about their mother’s death at 44 and the two siblings getting “smuggled into this country” afterward, with her responsible for caring for him until she became a teenage mother. “There’s nothing I can say or do to repair all the damage” of what he did that night, she said. “My brother is not a bad person … he made a terrible, terrible choice.”

Next was Lopez-Morales’s opportunity to speak. He said he wanted to apologize – “I’m very very sorry for my intoxication and really sorry … for what I did in that situation. I’m very sorry to the families … Khalea’s and Riley’s families .. if I could, I would have chosen my life to perish instead of their life. … That wasn’t my intention of hurting anybody… I would like to say sorry again though ‘sorry’ won’t bring them back.’ He spoke haltingly and through sobs and repeated regret for what he called “my nonsense of being intoxicated … my stupidness.”

The judge then spoke. “These types of cases are difficult for everyone involved.” She spoke about the two young victims, “taken (away) far too soon” and about the effects on the families. She also acknowledged the “mitigating factors” raised by the defense. “This is not an intentional crime – it is a reckless crime.” But he chose to drink and take drugs and get into a vehicle, driving “for miles” and hitting other cars, with other cars “honking at you, flashing their lights,” and yet he did not stop. “By the time you encountered Riley and Khalea, they could not get out of the way.” While “bad decisions do not make a bad person,” he made a “devastatingly poor choice.”

She then gave the sentence the prosecution had requested – 148 months (12 years and 4 months), plus 18 months of community custody (probation). He’s already served some of that time, having been in jail for almost a year and a half.