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1

I don't know if it will ever be the same again. Once something like this happens, you just sort of second guess everything.

Posted by lilblackcat | January 25, 2008 5:09 PM
2

re: #1 - Especially in light of the fact that they still haven't caught the bastard that attacked the woman and broke her jaw during the suspected carjacking attempt in the U-District. Too many random attacks on women for my comfort!!

Posted by DOD | January 25, 2008 5:18 PM
3

Holy shit. Other than the beard the sketch looks nothing like him. Did the SPD sketch the made for television version of the attacker on accident? Either way, I'm glad they caught him and that the DNA's a match.

Posted by sprizee | January 25, 2008 5:20 PM
4

Yeah, it's pretty obvious from the sketch that he's the guy.

In fact, I think we could just forgo that pesky trial thing.

Posted by w7ngman | January 25, 2008 5:21 PM
5

Yeah, I know. It's totally irrational, though. I mean, death by random maniac is really one of those struck-by-lightning-type events.

Posted by tsm | January 25, 2008 5:21 PM
6

Right, tsm, but when said random maniac hasn't been caught, it's different. More like having that killer lightning cloud hovering over your head for a month or so.

Posted by Anthony Hecht | January 25, 2008 5:25 PM
7

So glad there's DNA evidence to build a case on here. If this bastard is the murdering bastard, a conviction based on solid DNA evidence would make sure they didn't nab the wrong guy.

But some reassurance before trial would be nice. Please let there be reliable word soon that he's made a (non-beaten-out-of-him) confession.

Posted by tomasyalba | January 25, 2008 5:25 PM
8

We've finally apprehended Richard Stallman!

Posted by JMR | January 25, 2008 5:31 PM
9

The perp photo looks like Saddam Hussein in a knit cap. Sucky likeness in the sketch.

Posted by Wolf | January 25, 2008 5:36 PM
10

In light of that fact that he's a DNA match, my snarky comments above should be held in a state of derision normally reserved for the ACLU and other such pesky habeas corpus-lovin' folk.

Thank you.

Posted by w7ngman | January 25, 2008 5:36 PM
11

i was creeped out by the neighborhood before shannon's murder (streetlights are sparse and dim! and sometimes shut off!) and i will continue to be creeped out even if this is the guy who did it. there are too many lone, sketchy men roaming the streets around there. my friends keep telling me to carry mace, but i'm not sure that's such a good idea.

what can people do to feel safe when walking the darker streets of cap hill?

Posted by spoooooked | January 25, 2008 5:41 PM
12

It does look a little like Stallman.

Posted by Fnarf | January 25, 2008 5:45 PM
13

How many victims over how many years did we live through with Ted Bundy and Ridgeway?

Was it the same after them?


This was very sad and bad but not earth changing.

Posted by whatever | January 25, 2008 5:49 PM
14

Cops said the sketch was based on description of person seen "walking rapidly away" from scene night of murder -- as described by ONE eyewitness. So, it might be a very accurate depiction of somebody who was, indeed, walking rapidly away from the scene or it might be a very crappy description on the part of the eyewitness. Or could be a crappy sketch. Pencil shading reminds me of the best work found in Stanley Park near the Vancouver Aquarium.

Posted by jseattle | January 25, 2008 6:04 PM
15

well, to be fair to the sketch artist...do we know what kind of view witnesses had of the guy? We know it was dark out and from what i've read it seems that nobody got a really good look at him. I'm sure people "pieced" this image together from what they saw, in the dark, as the man was coming/going. I'm just saying...

Posted by :: shawn :: | January 25, 2008 6:07 PM
16

@8,11 - amen!

Posted by kinkos | January 25, 2008 7:25 PM
17

Random murders are, unfortunately, a fact of life in any big city - and a lot of smaller ones.

I remember how sad and angry I was when dear Mia Zapata was murdered. She was a sweet, intelligent, personable gal that I had admired for a long time. (My much more outgoing roommate at the time knew her well)

It always hurts, and is very troubling, when things like this happen. I wish I could tell you it gets better, but unfortunately it doesn't.

But life does go on. And at least they caught the guy.

Posted by catalina vel-duray | January 25, 2008 8:11 PM
18

Man, am I stupid...at first glance, I thought this was one of those benighted Jen Graves "Now Hanging" posts...

Posted by Jubilation T. Cornball | January 25, 2008 9:47 PM
19

Looks like El Duce from the Mentors!

Posted by Sickie Wifebeater | January 25, 2008 10:07 PM
20

People, the attack was an isolated, directed attack towards one person, probably even a quasi-stalker situation. It's not like the guy was a serial murderer, or that serial murderers are all over the Hill.

Posted by Gomez | January 25, 2008 10:08 PM
21

@20: Isn't it pretty to think so?

Posted by Jubilation T. Cornball | January 25, 2008 10:33 PM
22

I SWEAR we saw the guy whose photo is all over the news (the arrestee) at CC Attle's during happy hour tonight! Actually we saw several of him.

Posted by HL | January 25, 2008 11:24 PM
23

So basically, they got the fact that he has a beard right and everything else was completely off.

Posted by The CHZA | January 26, 2008 4:11 AM
24

i, for one, would like to apologize on behalf of slog to the volunteer at the sierra club who was convicted in the court of public opinion.

right? dan always makes a big deal out of the pi and implying drug use and not apologizing later when it turns out to be bogus (see bellevue crane operator). so i think slog owes that kid an apology for running his reputation through the mud for no good reason.

Posted by some dude | January 26, 2008 9:47 AM
25

@20 - Where do you get this? From what I've seen there is no evidence this was directed against a particular person. All the reports say they didn't know each other.

Posted by Anthony Hecht | January 26, 2008 9:55 AM
26

@7: Given the DNA evidence, it's OK with me if they beat the confession out of him.

Posted by J.R. | January 26, 2008 10:24 AM
27

Anthony - you live in the middle of a city. There's one murder, and you feel "paranoid as fuck" taking out the garbage? Grow a pair.

Posted by TheVoiceOfReason | January 26, 2008 1:18 PM
28

@24,

Do you know his name? Does anyone on Slog knows his name? How can someone besmirch the reputation of someone who's completely anonymous?

Posted by keshmeshi | January 26, 2008 1:59 PM
29

Because we're SLOG. Not like the besmirching that goes on every day on the Washington Post blogs ...

Posted by Will in Seattle | January 26, 2008 7:07 PM
30

Does anyone know how they get or what kind of DNA evidence is left behind by a murderer? Did he cut himself? I hope it's solid.

Posted by Diana | January 26, 2008 9:42 PM
31

The sketch was really not any good. The reports all said a 3 to 4 inch beard, but the sketch has a 1 inch beard at best. The fact is that the verbal descriptions were better than this totally crappy sketch.

Posted by Me | January 26, 2008 10:49 PM
32

@30: according to today's paper the DNA was on a knife and from underneath Shannon's fingernails.

That's about as good as it gets.

Posted by gnossos | January 27, 2008 12:25 AM
33

I'm going to try to use the word "besmirching" more in conversations. ;) hehe

Posted by Kristin Bell | January 27, 2008 3:59 AM
34

@27 - Oh, got me there. Well played, sir. I have no balls because I have concerns when a savage, unprovoked murder happens within 50 feet of my door. It's true, it's true. I'm such a wuss.

Anyway, this moronic comment does bring up something I've been thinking about. In these threads, we inevitably see quite a bit of this, "You live in a city, get used to it" idea. I don't get it. Yes, of course, we all recognize that crime is a fact of life, and more so in cities. But these comments seem to suggest that this is just fine; that acknowledging that this is how things are somehow also means we should just accept it, that it's pointless to be upset, or spend any energy concerning ourselves over it at all.

Is that the point? That we shouldn't care or be interested or concerned when murders happen in our community, because "these things happen?" I can't see any other point that these comments could be making. It strikes me--much like the comment @27--as people just trying to look "tough" and "urban." To prove their city cred by showing some kind of steely indifference to brutal murder.

Which is, of course, insane.

And if that's not the point, what is the point?

Yes, these things happen. No, I won't accept it, ignore it, or be unmoved by it. It's my community, and killing people isn't cool. I've lived in big cities all my life (Seattle being the smallest and by far the least crime-ridden), and I'm not down with the murdering. A bold position, I know.

Posted by Anthony Hecht | January 27, 2008 9:07 AM

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