BULLETIN: Suspect arrested in Fauntleroy killing

5:27 PM: A suspect was booked into King County Jail this afternoon for investigation of homicide – and Southwest Precinct commander Captain Steve Paulsen confirms it’s a suspect in the Fauntleroy murder early this morning (here’s our previous coverage). He will not comment on whether it’s the person that WSB commenters mentioned seeing in the area, but he does say – as he has said in connection with other recent arrests – thanks to watchful residents for reporting suspicious circumstances and sightings. More to come; we’re researching the background of the person who’s been booked into jail.

6:16 PM UPDATE: The suspect is 19 years old, according to SeattleTimes.com (WSB partner). There is no one in Washington state/county/city criminal records with the name that’s listed on the jail roster (also, to answer another question that’s been asked, the suspect’s surname is not the same as that of anyone listed in public records as living in the household where the stabbing happened). We should have a lot more information through the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office after an anticipated bail hearing tomorrow. Meantime, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet announced the victim’s identity, and we won’t publish an ID, either in a news story or comments, until it has been made public either by authorities or by the victim’s family.

6:48 PM UPDATE: SPD Blotter also has just noted the arrest, but no additional information.

cclarue February 16, 2011 (5:32 pm)

Good work SPD !!!!!!!!!!

SV February 16, 2011 (5:42 pm)

good work SPD & WSB! all you watchful people make our community great.

Emma Peel February 16, 2011 (6:12 pm)

I heard the sirens last night and wondered what was up, but knew I’d find out via West Seattle Blog…thank you so much!

Good work SPD!

35this35mph February 16, 2011 (6:14 pm)

Well I’m glad they (presumably) got their man. I’m super curious (somewhat morbidly I suppose) if it is the guy I (and Westside D)saw this AM. Creepy.

Kate K February 16, 2011 (6:40 pm)

Condolences to family and friends of the victim. So glad they caught him. Big sigh of relief.

Cheryl February 16, 2011 (7:12 pm)

I sure hope it WAS the guy that neighbors saw creeping out of the bushes earlier, and even if it isn’t (but especially if it is), let this be a lesson to CALL POLICE if you ever see something suspicious, or weird, or wrong, or that just sets off your “creep” radar. It’s called being a good Samaritan, and while my BF and I argue over this all the time, I still stand on the side of it’s better to be wrong, and just made a concerned call, than to be right and have not made the call at all.

Condolences to the family and friend of the man who was murdered. This happened way too close to my home for comfort.

Star 55 February 16, 2011 (7:12 pm)

With all of the negative news about SPD lately, way to go men and women in uniform.

bridge to somewhere February 16, 2011 (7:21 pm)

Condolences to the family. I can’t imagine their loss right now.

onceachef February 16, 2011 (7:35 pm)

I’m sorry, but there’s something very odd about this…what was he (the alleged perp) doing in the home after midnight…this has to be connected…did the victim know him from family or employment, or was he suckered into letting him in? The wife knew someone was there but apparently did nothing until after the stabbing? What’s got my “hair up” is how weird this is.

WSB February 16, 2011 (8:15 pm)

There is absolutely no official information yet about the circumstances here, aside from that it does not appear to have been random, so there’s not much point in speculation – there will be more information after the bail hearing, when “probable cause” information is usually released, and we will publish that as soon as it is available. For now, at least it can be some reassurance that a suspect is behind bars, and assuming this is indeed the person, there’s not a killer on the loose … TR

madashell February 16, 2011 (8:17 pm)

OMG! I can’t believe. We have lost a soul who is an institution in WS. Hokum W. Jeebs, showman extraordinaire! I am crushed!

madashell February 16, 2011 (8:20 pm)

Just google Hokum jeebs and you will see!

madashell February 16, 2011 (8:34 pm)

All the focus on the suspect. Now we will see the true treasure the community has lost!

MB February 16, 2011 (9:13 pm)

Personally, I think the fact that someone was murdered in and of itself is the creepy part…regardless of circumstances. The back story pretty much has to be odd if it led to a murder.

I can’t for the life of me remember which news station I was watching this morning (reoccurring problem), but they said the victim was known to help “troubled youth.” Then we find out the person arrested was 19. Who knows, as WSB said, we’ll find out more later, but just from those 2 bits of info it would make more sense why he would let the person in (if it was a person he had helped in the past). Just my brain doing it’s own speculating. So sorry for the victim and the family, no matter what led up to last night.

visitor February 16, 2011 (9:20 pm)

There’s got to be a tragic story here….

J February 16, 2011 (10:21 pm)

I’m horrified and saddened to find out who the victim was (I’m not sure why the Seattle Times story gave his name, given WSB’s discretion–but it does.)

We’ve lost a wonderful and gifted artist.

flowerpetal February 17, 2011 (7:22 am)

Sad to read this morning that the victim was Hookum Jeebs, cofounder of Kenyon Hall, formerly Hookum Hall. RIP Hookum.

Lowlander February 17, 2011 (8:29 am)

As a friend of both the victim & his wife, I hope to quell any misinformation regarding this tragedy. Professor Hokum W Jeebs did much to help many, myself included. Only two people know what dispute led to this. Whether or not the killer had the intention to kill Hokum, or if it was a spontaneous event only matters to the murderer and the courts now. The killer fled immediately, but didn’t steal Hokum’s car to get away, so I have to suspect he didn’t “plan” to kill Hokum. Some of the people Hokum has helped over time have clearly resented his comfortable life, and it’s possible that this person might have been after money or some other assistance which Hokum was not willing to give. Hokum’s wife was heading downstairs to find out what the commotion was about. Hokum was able to climb the stairs, and died in his wife’s arms a moment later. She has lost her soulmate. Many of us have lost a very dear friend. The Seattle Symphony has lost it’s ” first chair” crosscut saw player, and the world has lost one of it’s precious few piano-bicycle players, to say the very least. I strongly suspect that the suspect in custody is the killer, and despite my anger, I can’t help but feel terrible for him. Whatever problems this guy had, he has now multiplied, and another 19 year old will now lead a very diminished life. I expect I’ll go to the bail hearing today, though I can’t really understand why, or what could be gained. Maybe it will only sever the illusion that this can’t really be happening.
I want to thank all those who called the police with any information. Be comforted that those like yourselves still far outnumber the predatory segment of the human race. I can’t possibly give enough thanks to the Seattle Police Department.
I hope no one reading this will ever have to see CSI vans gathered around the home of anyone they know and care for. Via con Dio, Jeebs

cherylc February 17, 2011 (8:49 am)

The Seattle Times has identified the victim as Professor Hokum W. Jeebs, co-founder of Hokum Hall. I didn’t know him personally, but this news makes me very sad.

WSB February 17, 2011 (9:39 am)

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office has finally as of our conversation a few minutes ago officially released the identity. We know another news organization chose to publish it last night with attribution to a friend; unless there is a matter of urgency or public safety, our standard, held from decades as a news manager, is to wait until either the family comes forward to announce it or the KCME says it has finished making its notifications – which they had not as of late last night (we called multiple times to check, as this identification was circulating unofficially within a few hours of the murder). And now they have. We have published a separate story here, with a bit of the background info and a video clip we had on hold waiting for the ID to be official – TR
.
https://westseattleblog.com/2011/02/fauntleroy-stabbing-victim-officially-identified-as-entertainer-hokum-w-jeebs

JoB February 17, 2011 (9:36 am)

i am with you visitor…
this has all the makings of a tragic story

madashell February 17, 2011 (9:49 am)

WSB, you deleted my comments last night lamenting the community’s loss of a true treasure, Hokum Jeebs. I got that information from the Seattle Times story that you linked to.

Anyway, this is terrible news. Like I said before, you can find some of his wonderful performances on Youtube.