A 40-year-old Maple Valley man, Troy Allen Hewitt, was charged with second degree murder and first degree assault by the King County Prosecutor March 23, in superior court.
Hewitt is alleged to have stabbed to death James Reed III and wounded Reed’s 49-year-old father with a knife, March 20, following a bar fight at the at the Red Dog Saloon located at 18605 S.E. Renton-Maple Valley Road in unincorporated King County.
Both were taken to Harborview Medical Center. The son died and the father underwent surgery. According to the prosecutor’s office the father remains in the hospital.
According to the probable cause documents, Reed and his father arrived separately at the bar.
Hewitt was at the bar with his wife socializing and drinking with friends.
At about 12:40 a.m. a fight broke out among numerous people at the bar. During the fight Hewitt and James Reed III got into a fight, which was broken up by several bar patrons.
After the fight broke up in the bar, Hewitt and James Reed III and his father went outside. Witnesses told police Hewitt was armed with a knife.
In the document one witness stated the son and Hewitt were arguing in the parking lot and she saw “Troy’s hand coming away from James’ back.”
The King County Sheriff’s Office detectives obtained a video of the fight inside the bar taken by a patron. The document stated the detective observed on the video Hewitt and the son fighting in the bar. Hewitt is also seen on the video following the father and son into the parking lot, and he appears to be “holding an edged weapon ‘cupped’ in his right hand as he exists the bar directly behind Jimmy (the father.)”
The document stated the son was stabbed twice, once in the heart and once in the back. When the father turned toward his son he was stabbed in the back twice.
The prosecutor noted Hewitt does not appear to have any prior criminal convictions.
Hewitt left the scene and he was arrested about two hours later at his residence.
According to the document the suspect acknowledged being in the bar and involved in the fight, but he denied stabbing anyone. The document noted the suspect had blood on both hands and a cut on his right pinky finger.
Hewitt is in custody on $1 million bail and will be arraigned at 9 a.m. April 4 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center, courtroom GA.
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