Seattle, Washington – A 25-year-old man from Washington state faces premeditated murder charges after allegedly brutally killing a homeless man with an ax in Seattle. Liam Harrison Kryger was arrested on a first-degree murder charge and is being held on a $5 million bond at the King County jail.
Court documents reveal that Kryger is accused of the early morning slaying of 52-year-old Daravuth Van outside Seattle’s Town Hall building. The victim was found dead at around 5 a.m. in the city’s First Hill neighborhood.
According to police Chief Adrian Diaz, investigators determined that the victim was sleeping when he was struck in the head and killed. A passerby discovered the victim’s body and called 911 after noticing a large pool of blood surrounding him.
The King County Medical Examiner determined that Van died from a sharp blunt force object that fractured part of his skull and penetrated his brain. Video evidence obtained by police from nearby businesses and apartment complexes captured the killing on camera.
Police traced the murder weapon, an ax, to a recent purchase made by Kryger at a local home improvement store. After obtaining video footage of the suspect buying the ax, officers executed a search warrant at Kyrger’s home, where he was arrested without incident.
Kryger admitted to police that he was the person captured in video footage casing the area where the victim was killed. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the premeditated murder charge in Washington County Superior Court later this month. An attorney of record for the defendant has not been publicly listed.