A 48-year-old Seattle man was charged Friday with first-degree murder, assault and animal cruelty in connection with the killing of an 80-year-old dog walker during a carjacking.
Jahmed Kamal Haynes allegedly entered Ruth Dalton’s car and stole it from her, pushing her out of the driver door and reversing over her. Witnesses later said they believe she struggled with him because there were multiple dogs in the car.
Haynes did not appear in court on Thursday for a first appearance hearing, according to prosecutors. He does not have the option of being bailed out. Prosecutors requested a no bail hold, arguing this case and Haynes’ previous convictions demonstrate a “a propensity for violence that creates a substantial likelihood of danger to the community.” Haynes has been convicted of several felonies, including one vehicular homicide.
Neighbors’ security footage showed Dalton was sitting in her car when the man approached the vehicle and got in the passenger seat, according to the charges. She tried to drive away and the man tried to shove her out of the car while it was moving, leaving her hanging out of the vehicle. One bystander tried to intervene before Haynes allegedly threatened him with a knife, and the bystander retrieved a bat from his own car and swung it at the windows, allowing some of the dogs to escape, according to the charges.
Once Haynes gained control of the car, he reversed, knocking Dalton onto the road and driving over her body as he fled the scene, prosecutors allege. Her body was dragged by the car.
Dalton’s own dog and car were found later that day in a Columbia City park. Her car was abandoned with heavy damage, and her dog Prince was found stabbed to death in a recycling bin. A dog crate and phone were also found in the recycling bin, according to the probable cause statement written by a Seattle detective. The SIM card number verified the phone was Dalton’s and a couple of fingerprints were left on the phone, according to the charges. The fingerprints were found in a police database and matched Haynes’ prints, according to the charges.
The detective wrote that multiple witnesses described the suspect similarly, adding that he had a prosthetic leg, which Haynes has.
Officers arrested Haynes near his home Wednesday morning, and he was found to have Subaru keys and a knife with blood and fur on it in his pocket, according to the charges.
Haynes has multiple prior convictions: a 1993 vehicular homicide; a 1995 controlled substances delivery; a 1999 first-degree robbery; a 1999 vehicle theft; a 2003 first-degree attempted escape; and two 2003 custodial assault convictions. He received a 15-year sentence for the 2003 convictions.
In the 1993 vehicular homicide, Haynes was driving with a blood alcohol content of .12 when he crashed into other cars in Seattle including at least one that was occupied. That driver was ejected from the car and died from their injuries. He was in prison for under three years for that crime.
In 2003, Haynes attacked two prison workers while serving his sentence for robbery. He was armed with a piece of metal that had been sharpened. His original charge was second-degree assault, but he took a plea deal for custodial assault instead. Had Haynes been convicted of second-degree assault, it would have served as his third “most serious offense,” and he would have been sentenced to life in prison under Washington’s “three strikes” law.
If Haynes is convicted of either the murder charge or the charge of assault against the bystander, he will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.