(WSB photo, June 19)
62-year-old Michael L. Dudley of Burien is now charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the June shooting deaths of 35-year-old Jessica Lewis and 27-year-old Austin Wenner, whose bodies were found in suitcases. The originally reported discovery near Luna/Anchor Park was not the only disposal site, prosecutors say. As reported here last week, police arrested Dudley Wednesday; probable-cause documents said he had been renting a room to the victims and arguing with them over payment of the $1500/month rent. The newly filed charging documents say:
While the precise motive for this crime is not yet fully known, the evidence to date shows that the defendant was angry with the victims for not paying rent and for bringing potential criminal activity to the Ambaum home. The defendant, likely with the aid of others, dismembered the two victims after he killed them, separated their bodies into multiple bags and suitcases and tried to hide them in different bodies of water. This process would have taken a lot of time and effort and his willingness to take these extreme steps demonstrates the threat he poses to the community.
The other “body of water” in which more of the victims’ remains were found is explained later as “near 10000 West Marginal Pl, near the Seattle City Light power substation on the Duwamish River,” a discovery reported to the King County Sheriff’s Office, which subsequently contacted SPD. The Medical Examiner said both victims had been beaten as well as shot.
10 days after the discovery in West Seattle, the charging documents say, family members of the victims told police they had been staying with Dudley since last December. Investigators talked to a variety of other people in piecing together circumstances leading to the murder allegation. Regarding the aforementioned “potential criminal activity,” the court documents say Wenner had been attacked at the Burien house by men with whom he had been having some kind of dispute.
The court document notes that Dudley’s criminal history includes a felony drug conviction from Thurston County in 1996 and convictions in California for Carrying a Concealed Weapon in a Vehicle (1994), Taking a Vehicle for Temporary Use (1995), and Vehicle Theft (1996), plus an Oregon conviction for DUI (1977). As we reported last week, he was charged more recently with misdemeanor domestic-violence assault for allegedly attacking a woman he had been dating. He remains jailed in lieu of $5 million bail. (added) He’s scheduled for arraignment September 8th.
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