Stock photo, Metro Creative Graphics

Stock photo, Metro Creative Graphics

Son charged with murder in Kent death of mother’s boyfriend

Allegedly shot man 8 to 10 times and had previously threatened him

Dondre Jack Lee Butler, 20, allegedly shot his mother’s boyfriend eight to 1o times before fleeing their Kent house and several days later turning himself in to police.

King County prosecutors charged Butler with second-degree murder in the death of Carlos Middleton, 45. Butler is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 17 at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. He remains in the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle with bail set at $1 million.

Butler reportedly shot Middleton Oct. 29 at a house they lived in at 14310 SE 282nd St. Butler’s mother, the girlfriend of Middleton, also lived at the home.

“According to the victim’s friends, (Middleton) had safety concerns about the defendant and had alerted his friends that the defendant had pulled a gun on him before,” wrote Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney William Doyle in charging documents. “(Middleton) told a friend that if anything happened to him, ‘her (the defendant’s mother) and her son did it.’”

In addition to the eight to 10 shots on his torso and leg that killed Middleton, he suffered blunt force trauma injuries to his face and forehead as well as a cut lip, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Butler has no known criminal conviction history. He had a fourth-degree assault as a juvenile, a diversion referral in Kent from an incident in July 2020 when he allegedly kicked his mother’s then-boyfriend (not Middleton) down a flight of stairs, according to court documents.

Officers responded at about 10:12 p.m. Oct. 29 to 911 calls about a shooting at the East Hill home, according to court documents. One 911 caller was the son’s mother who said her boyfriend had been shot. The other was a neighbor who reported hearing about six gunshots from the residence and a vehicle fleeing.

The mother told police that she and Middleton had been drinking alone at the residence. She said she was in bed when Middleton decided to leave the bedroom and took a set of keys. She said she followed Middleton out of the house and was able to grab the keys from his hand, according to court documents.

The woman said she then ran back to the house and could hear Middleton chasing her. She said once she opened the door of the house, Middleton pushed her from behind and she fell to the floor. She said immediately afterwards her son shot Middleton multiple times and then fled the residence.

The mother never said that Middleton was armed or appeared to have been armed, according to police. She also never said that Middleton tried to attack her on the floor or had been standing over her on the floor.

She claimed not to know where her son was and would not provide information as to the vehicle he was driving or his phone number.

Butler turned himself in Nov. 1 at the Kent Police Station. He brought attorney James Curtis, of The Curtis Firm in Tukwila, with him. Curtis organized the man’s surrender with a detective. Detectives had been looking for Butler but had not tracked him down. Butler did not talk to detectives.

Police executed a search warrant at the home and recovered a firearm in one of the bedrooms that reportedly belonged to Butler. Detectives also found Butler’s social security card in the room. They found multiple fired cartridge cases in the home.

A friend of Middleton’s told detectives that Middleton told him about six months ago that Butler had pulled a gun on Middleton, according charging documents. Another friend told detectives that a friend of Butler’s pulled a gun on Middleton at a party thrown by a friend of Butler’s mother.

Middleton apparently left the party terrified and later told his friend that if anything happens to him, to look at his girlfriend and her son.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in News

File photo
Man sentenced in Federal Way rock throwing death

Judi Kilma retrieved a fist-sized rock after a man punctured one of the tires on Kilma’s bicycle.

t
Kent Police Blotter: March 11-25

Incidents include commercial burglary, DUI arrest

Flowers for slain trooper Chris Gadd begin to collect outside Washington State Patrol District 7 Headquarters on Saturday, March 2 in Marysville. (Ryan Berry / Sound Publishing)
Lynnwood man pleads not guilty in crash that killed WSP trooper

Raul Benitez Santana arraigned Tuesday on vehicular homicide charge in Trooper Chris Gadd’s death.

Captain Ron Mead and Corporal Alexis Robinson embrace during a memorial for Washington State Patrol trooper Chris Gadd on Tuesday, March 12 at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / Sound Publishing)
Man was reportedly driving 112 mph before crashing into Trooper Gadd

Charging documents reveal details of March 2 crash that killed Kentlake High graduate

t
Kent apartment shooting injures man, woman on East Hill

Incident began Sunday, March 24 as domestic dispute; woman’s brother gets involved and shots are fired

Chase Wilcoxson, father to Matilda, 13, and Eloise,12, places a family photo at the roadside memorial dedicated to his daughters, Buster Brown, 12, and Andrea Hudson, 38. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.
Families forgive Kent suspect involved in fatal crash near Renton

High-speed collision March 19 killed four; families of victims call to make the roads safer

t
Kent mayor plans to keep fighting for sales tax to hire more police

State of the City address also touches on new restaurants, roundabouts and walking paths

t
Crews to begin work on $13.8 million final phase of 76th Avenue upgrade

Street to be raised above Mill Creek floodplain, paved with concrete; bridges to replace culverts

t
Smoke alarms help Kent family of five escape house fire

Firefighters rescue one male from roof in March 19 fire on East Hill

File photo
Victims identified in ‘mass casualty’ collision that killed four near Renton | Update

Detectives say the collision was caused by an 18-year-old driver.

t
Semi-truck rollover blocks Green River Bridge in Auburn

Traffic had to be diverted from State Route 18; heavy impact on Kent streets

t
Seattle church’s donation to cover asylum seekers bill at Kent hotel

Group to remain at Kent Quality Inn for two more weeks