FULL TEXT OF CHARGING PAPERS AGAINST SCOTT WHITE FOR MIKE WEBB MURDER

First degree murder charges were filed against Scott White this afternoon in the Mike Webb case.

The defendant remains in jail on $1 million bail. He is scheduled for arraignment on July 30 at the King County Courthouse. The defendant's sentence range is 264 to 344 months in prison.

Following the release of the court documents, Webb's sister, Marian Bogni wrote in a family press release.

"I am asking people to remember that Scott is a transient drug addict. Please let the facts as they come out in court tell the story and don't interpret facts. Mike was a kind, caring guy who helped several people suffering from addiction problems get clean, and he was trying to help Scott too. Please remember this is Scott's version."

The complete text of the charging papers for THE STATE OF WASHINGTON v. SCOTT BRIAN WHITE follow.

Be warned: The content is disturbing.

(PHOTO: Scott White, courtesy KIROTV, read their coverage here.)

POLICE DEPARTMENT/CERTIFICATlON FOR DETERMINATION OF PROBABLE CAUSE

That D. N. Duffy is a Detective with the Seatte Police Departent and has reviewed the investigation conducted in Seattle Police Departent Case Number 07-261858;

There is probable cause to believe that White, Scott Brian WfM 06-30-79 committed the crime(s) of  Murder within the City of  Seattle, County of  King, State of  Washington:

This belief is predicated on the following facts and circumstances: In the month of  November of2006, Michael K. Webb met the defendant Scott B. White. A short time later, the defendant moved into 2505 3rd Av W., the residence Webb had been renting for fourteen years. This home is located in the City of Seattle, County of King and State of Washington.

During the time the defendant lived with Webb, Webb worked as an Internet talk show host. In return for advertising on Webb's internet talk show, Bil Korum Nissan in Puyallup, Washington would loan Webb a car from the dealership for Webb to drive. On 4-6-07, Webb called 911 to report the car loaned to him from Korum had been stolen. The defendant was the last person in the car and failed to pick up Webb after an appointment. Webb told friends that the defendant had also stolen money and property from Webb. Later, the defendant admitted to Webb he had taken the car and the defendant returned the car to Webb a few days later.

On Friday April 13th 2007, Jane Bengtson, a friend of Webb's, took Webb to the dentist. Webb was to have intensive dental work and oral surgery on Tuesday April 1 ih. Webb did his nightly "live" Internet show from 9pm to 11  pm. on this Friday. On Monday April 16th, Bengtson received a text message from Webb's phone, stating that he  (Webb) would not be going to the dentist appointment on Tuesday. Bengtson said she received another text message from Webb's phone claiming he (Webb) was going out of  town with a person named PauL.

Bill Korum also received text messages from Webb's phone stating he (Webb) had gone to California because his sister's husband had been injured in an accident and the husband was in the ICU in CA.

Brent Zimmerman, another friend of Webb's, also received text messages from Webb's phone asking Zimmerman to return the above-mentioned car to Korum. In the messages from Webb's phone, stated Korum was  not to come to Webb's home at 2505 3rd Av. W. and Zimmerman was to meet Korum at an agreed upon location away from the home to return the car.

Bob Vesely, a friend of  Webb's and his technical support person, had a prearranged appointment with Webb on April  15th. Webb did not appear.

All the individuals receiving text messages from Webb's cell phone noted the messåges were out of character for Webb. Misspellings, such as "verry" rather than "very", appeared several times. The term "Iam" appeared several times instead of Webb's unusual "I'm" or "I am." The messages after April 13th also began ending with the name "Mike". Webb did not sign his text messages with his name.

Bengtson thought it strange that Webb would not call her, so she went to his residence after work at about 0030 hours on April 20th. Bengtson said she was met by a panicked white male, with long dreadlocks, she had never seen before. The male ran out of the house and told her in a nervous voice that "they" thought Webb had come home early from California. Bengtson asked if Webb was at home and the male said, "no". Bengtson asked what he was doing there and the male replied, "I'm visiting White". Bengtson said the male then immediately left on foot. Bengtson said there was a red sheet covering the front window so she could not look inside the house. Bengtson said a few minutes later she received a text message from Webb's cell phone condemning her for coming to Webb's house uninvited.

Due to the fact that all of  Webb's frends and family had not verbally heard from or seen Webb in person, a missing person's report was filed on May 14th 2007.

On June 28, 2007, the body of Mike Webb was located in his rented home at 2505 3rd Avenue W. by workers cleaning out the residence. Webb's body had been covered with a blue tarp and concealed in the crawl space of the basement of his home. His hands and feet had been bound with duct tape and a plastic bag had been duct taped around his head. A double-edged axe was found near the body.

The autopsy conducted by King County Medical Examiner Dr. Richard Harrff determined that Webb had suffered a stab wound to the chest, 3 stab wounds to the neck, and one to the shoulder. Webb further has sustained 5 lengthy lacerations across his face that resulted in a skull fracture. The wounds to the face would be consistent with wounds inflicted with an axe.

Detectives searching Webb's home located several pawn slips indicating that the defendant had pawned several electronic items that belonged to Michael Webb. Capitol Hill Loans owner, Rob Chandler, positively identified Scott White from a photo-montage as the person who sold Chandler a HP laptop owned by Webb.

Detectives also found blood spatter in the master bedroom in Webb's home. Above the bed on the ceiling, in addition to possible cast off blood stains, detectives found a gouge that would be consistent with damage left by an axe. Detectives found apparent drag marks in and from the master bedroom. Curiously, the sheets on the bed appeared free of significant blood stains. Removal of the sheets and examination of the mattress revealed a blood pool. Bloody sheets were found elsewhere in the house. On 7/9/07, Betty Newlin from Seattle Police Deparment Latent Print Lab recovered the defendant's bloody fingerprint from a dust pan believed to have been used to clean up the murder scene.

Detectives also received information that the defendant was using Webb's EBT (DSHS credit card) card. Detectives were able to locate the specific stores at which the transactions took place. Recovered video surveillance from these stores showed the defendant making the transactions with the card.

On July 18th, detectives received information that the defendant was staying in a transient camp in Trolley Park on Queen Ane Hill. Detective went to the park, located the defendant and took him into custody.

The defendant was taken to a SPD Homicide offce interview room where he was read his Miranda warnings via an SPD issued card. The defendant stated he understood.his rights. The defendant initially told detectives that he had taken the loaned car from Korum Nissan and later had returned it to Webb. The defendant said a day or two after returning the car, he left Webb's house. The defendant said he later returned to Webb's house only to discover Webb missing. The defendant claimed he then stayed at Webb's house for several weeks, concerned over where Webb had gone.

When confronted with some of the evidence detailed above, the defendant made an equivocal request for an attorney. The detectives stopped their questioning and inquired whether the defendant wanted an attorney. After being given time to decide, the defendant chose to speak with the detectives.

The defendant told detectives that he had placed an axe under his side of the bed in the master bedroom. He said that in the early morning hours of a day determined to be Apri114, 2007, he told Webb he (the defendant) was going out to have a cigarette. The defendant said he then reached under the bed, grabbed the axe and hit Webb 3-7 times with it. The defendant said he left the body on the bed for several hours. When he returned, the body was stiff. The defendant said he put a plastic bag over the victims head due to the amount of blood; he duct taped the hands and used the tape as a handle to drag the body down the stairs. The defendant said this was very diffcult and it took him a considerable amount of time. The defendant said he placed Webb's body in the crawl space and covered it up with Webb's blue tarp. The defendant then admitted to text messaging and emailing Webb's frends and family, posing as Mike Webb in those messages, and claiming that Webb was out of town. The defendant also admitted to pawning several items of Webb's personal property and using Webb's EBT card. He said he tried to use Webb's credit cards but he (the defendant) could not get them to work.
~~

6 7 CAUSE NO. 07-1-05978-1 SEA 8 PROSECUTING ATTORNEY CASE SUMMARY AND REQUEST FOR BAIL AND/OR CONDITIONS OF RELEASE 9 10 The State incorporates by reference the Certification for Determination of Probable Cause signed by City of Seattle Homicide Detective Dana Duffy under Seattle Police Department incident number 07-261858 11 12 REQUEST FOR BAIL 13 The State requests bail in the amount of$I,OOO,OOO.OO. The defendant is an extreme danger to the community as evidenced by his violent bludgeoning of  the victim with an axe. The defendant has no residence or ties to the community. The defendant faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 22 years on the curent charge. Combined with his lack of connections to the community, the defendant poses a substantial flight risk. The amount of bail requested is appropriate. Signed this 02ll day of July, 2007. 14 15 16 17 18 Donald J. Raz, WSBA 728 19

Comments

[anomolos]

Attention, cop-haters and conspiracy theorists (meaning most of the posters on this board):

Well, mother of all surprises, Seattle law enforcement professionals have dispatched their duties in a professional and effective fashion in the Webb murder case, despite your small-minded predictions to the contrary.

Here are tommy008's comments from a recent thread:

Cops at the doors [of the memorial]? Why? What, were they expecting the "person of interest" to show up? Mike would be passed [sic] to have the badgehaevy [sic] pricks of the S.P.D. polluting [!] his memorial. Maybe you could have found Mike's body in April insted of June, guys, instead of trying to score brownie points at the man's funeral.

As true now as they were then, here are my comments from a somewhat older thread:

You liberals want it both ways. You baselessly attack, blame, and belittle police officers who are doing a noble and dangerous job, and then expect them to rush like servants when you've got a problem. If you want a helpful police force, why not try giving them your support (for a change)? Or at least the benefit of the doubt? I guess that's too much to ask of ingrates.

Sadly, these words will be perennially relevant as long as there are pathetic assholes like tommy in the world.

[Andrew]

I hope he's truthful about the bag over the head and the tying of the hands being after the fact, because at first it seemed like it might have been a drawn out ordeal. I realy hate hearing about how people are tortured before being murdered, as the family was in Idaho. I'll never come to terms with the fact that humans can do that to eachother or be forced to go through such an experiance.

I also wonder why the max sentance is aproximately 27 years. Why can't this guy be put to death?

If it turns out this guy did this because Webb said "you stole my car and took some of things, get the fuck out tommorow", then I must say, *I CALLED IT*, because if I don't, nobody else will.

[Andrew]

nutjob said "You liberals .. baselessly attack, blame, and belittle police officers who are doing a noble and dangerous job"

Atleast we don't try to cut back their funding you nut job.

Now is not the time for your cooky shit anyway. I hope the blog operator deletes your moronic post.

[anomolos]

Andrew:

A classic response. You don't even deny the accusation--instead, you merely offer a non-sequitir rebuttal and a hope that my point of view gets suppressed so you won't have to be confronted with it.

Typical.

[Scheck]

non sequitur

[anomolos]

Thanks, Scheck--you are right and I was wrong.

[Scheck]

not in concept; you're right and it was well said.

[anomolos]

Thanks!

[joanie]

WOW! Answers your "intentional" question, Sparky.

Andrew . . . not a prolonged death in my opinion. They were sleeping together (sounds like to me) and one was getting up, told the other "goin' for a cigarette) wherein Mike perhaps relaxed and the kid grabbed the axe from under the bed and killed him. Pretty damn quick. Just my take but fits the scenario . . . early morning and all.

Poor Mike. Why murder 2 I wonder?

Yes, the guy will still be trouble when he gets out. Scary.

BTW, anomolos, the killer practically signed his name to this murder. Let's not go overboard here. I'm glad they got him but use some restraint please.

Oh, and vote for higher taxes next time so everybody will get the same service and we can add a few more cops to the beat. Thanks in advance.

[Jim Malso]

This murder wasn't about politics, it was about lifestyle. Sleeping with homeless men is probably not the best choice. Very sad, and kind of grimy.

[Tommy008]

Not all S.P.D. members are badgeheavy pricks. Funny, though, nearly all the ones I've interacted with are. People such as talkhost Fred Ebert and others come to this town from back East and elsewhere and remark on the number of badgeheavy pricks in our force, so it's not just me. Anomolos, although he got in a cheapshot at me, failed to answer why cops were posted at the doors to Mike's memorial service. There were no threats made by say that Kansas nutjob minister, or some other gaybashing group against Mike's service. They could have put a discreet presence there by a few officers in parked patrol cars if general security against no specific threats was their mission. It's offensive and obnoxious, especially considering the deceased's antipathy to the S.P.D., to have uniformed officers stationed in this manner. I could call it jackassery but that would be mean.

[joanie]

Perhaps the church requested their presence? Otherwise, I agree. A heavy-handed way of intruding. Interesting observation.

[anomolos]

joanie sez:
Let's not go overboard here [when concluding the cops did a professional and effective job].

tommy sez:
Funny, though, nearly all the [cops] I've interacted with are [badgeheavy pricks].

and

It's offensive and obnoxious [...] to have uniformed officers stationed in this manner.

Again, you refuse to give the cops the benefit of the doubt, despite the honor of their profession. You assume them to be agents of evil/oppression/what-have-you, and it is this assumption that is so truly offensive--partially because it is profoundly ungrateful, and partially because you are an adult exhibiting the moral sophistication of a 13-year-old. ("Cops are like, bad, man.")

Earth to joanie and tommy: cops are a major ingredient of an orderly society, and it is precisely their willingness to subject themselves to bodily risk (not to mention snide, hateful attacks like those so common in these threads) that allows you to pursue your own happiness more or less unimpeded.

Now here we have the sad spectacle of anti-cop types like you, who are so vicious and baseless in their criticisms, making heartfelt appeals to sanity and proportion when somebody (like me) has the nerve to praise the cops. Your gross ingratitude is almost metaphysical in its scope.

Re: paying more taxes: We would need fewer cops (and therefore less money to pay for them) if we didn't take a vast portion of our tax money and apply it towards failed liberal social experiments that only serve to twist natural human incentives to the point where becoming a scourge on society (drug addict, welfare queen, etc.) has become so normalized that it is widely seen as a legitimate "life choice".

As an example, if liberal social programs didn't incentive the breakup of families, many of these future criminals would have had a father in the house to impose discipline and nip their little anti-social tendencies in the bud before they became full-scale law enforcement issues.

[sclub]

Hmm... Seattle libs vote for lax judges and support perp-friendly laws then wonder why the P.O.S. who kills one of their own will get off easy.

[joanie]

My goodness you guys are good at spin. Yes, they solved the crime . . . it is your judgment that the work was efficient and professional. Not having been privy to their investigative work, I cannot bear witness to that. Perhaps you can? Are you one of them?

Again, the killer signed his name to the crime. That is all I know.

Thank you, our men and women in blue, for picking him up.

Now, anomolos, why murder 2?

[Andrew]

anomolos, I'm a liberal and I don't think cops are bad. The fact that you would make that idiotic and broad connection and at a time like this makes you look clumsy, simple and heartless.

Humans are known to over generalize as a way of understanding a complex world, but you realy take the cake. You aren't accomplishing anything accept to widen the rift between you and other people.

[anomolos]

joanie:

I'll answer your trivial questions when you answer my substantial ones.

[anomolos]

Andrew,

Weeeellll, are you a classical liberal in the Thomas Jefferson sense or are you a progressive liberal in the post-1960s sense? Because if you think there isn't a strong, persistent thread of mindless anti-authoritarian (often manifested as anti-cop) sentiment in modern American progressive liberalism, you are insane.

I can only say that I would rather have an over-generalized view of the world than a delusional one.

[joanie]

Sorry, anomolos, but I just "investigated" your post and found no question marks at all.

Or are you referring to the first post in which you asked why we don't support them? or give them the benefit of the doubt? How do you know I don't?

I support them with tax money. I give them the benefit of the doubt when I think they deserve it.

I will support them and give them less suspicion when I know fewer of them. Remember, I said earlier that I worked with them over twenty years. Do you ass-ume to know them better than I? Perhaps you do. Or perhaps we just disagree about the "bully" and "badge-heavy" characteristics I see that you don't.

Now, answer my trivial question: why murder 2? are you one of them?

I think you are too emotional to be one of them.

[anomolos]

I can't stop myself, there's so much material.

joanie sez:
My goodness you guys are good at spin.

Joanie, a convincing point of view that does not comport with your prejudices about the world is not necessarily "spin". It may, in fact, be something else entirely; namely, a well-constructed argument.

Just something to think about.

[joanie]

are you a classical liberal in the Thomas Jefferson sense or are you a progressive liberal in the post-1960s sense?

On second thought, anybody who posts this kind of foolishness isn't worth listening to anyway. You are a fraud, anomolos.

Wasn't it Jefferson who suggested a revolution every so often was a good idea?

I think you need to take your own advice about well-constructed arguments. Just sayin' . . .

[joanie]

Thomas Jefferson 3rd President (1801-1809)

Periodic revolution, “at least once every 20 years,” was “a medicine necessary for the sound health of government.”

I think Jefferson was a progressive. Of course, it is only in the minds of the stultified and vacuous right that there's a difference anyway.

[anomolos]

joanie:

Ahhh, I knew you were going to get me on the question marks. I should have written, "I will address your trivial points when you address my substantial ones." Of course, hell would freeze over before that happened.

Regarding your claim "I will give them the benefit of the doubt when I think they deserve it" demonstrates to me that you don't know the meaning of the phrase.

As far as why not murder 2? goes, how the hell should I know? I'm not a prosecuting attorney. My guess is that they would rather get a sure conviction and put the guy away until he's an old man than go for a harsher punishment (thereby setting a higher bar for proof) and risk acquittal.

The telling fact isn't any of your particular points or questions, but the fact that at every stage you exhibit a fundamental and pervasive belief (some might say paranoia) that the cops are probably acting dishonorably. Hence the question, "Why Murder 2?" Why ask the question? Do you suspect that they are not going for the full punishment as political payback because Webb was a critic of the cops? This kind of second-guessing and imputation of nefarious motive is pervasive throughout your comments. That is what I mean when I say, you manifestly don't give them the benefit of the doubt, despite your claims to the contrary.

As far as supporting cops through taxes: taxes are extracted at the point of a gun (or haven't you heard?), and so that doesn't count for the purposes of this discussion. By that reasoning, I support sex education for kindergardners, were it to become practice in public schools, even though I am totally opposed to it. If your evidence of supporting the police is that you pay your taxes when threatened with imprisonment, and some of those taxes eventually end up in the police budget, then you've made my point for me better than I ever could.

[anomolos]

joanie sez:
I think Jefferson was a progressive.

A well-thought-out assertion. Progressivism is a political movement with origins in the 19th century.

Revolution in Jefferson's time meant bloody civil war. Is that something you are advocating?

[anomolos]

I think Jefferson was a progressive.

A vacuous statement if ever there was one.

[Andrew]

You shouldn't even use the world liberal in a debate. If people have a particular attitude about a particular topic that you take issue with then you should call it for what it is, not lump it into the liberal category. If you use the word liberal one more time we'll know you're a troll.

It sounds like you are addressing people who are suspicious of the police department's motives. That doesn't have anything thing to do with being liberal. The DNC charter says nothing about being suspicious of police.

[Tommy008]

The KIRO reporter just said on Ron and Don that the White creep is charged with first degree mmurder.

[Andrew]

Sweet! Does that mean they can cook him?

[sparky]

Joanie, it says elsewhere that he has been charged with FIRST degree murder.

there are pieces that dont fit in this puzzle...at least with the information we have, and of course the police probably and necessarily have kept private.
I assume one of the "items" the landlord rep found was the axe?
If police AND family members were in the house weeks before his body was discovered, didht they see the blood spatters on the wall???? That is a puzzle piece that doesnt fit. Especially if the police brought dogs in...

What a terrible thing to have happened to him...I feel so sad for his family, too.

Im especially sorry that a few more "anonymous" individuals have decided to use this sad thread as a means for spewing personal insults. Mike's family must really enjoy reading slams against liberals when Mike was one of the most famous liberals in Seattle. Very classy of you, I must say.

[anomolos]

Andrew:

Are you a liberal? If yes, what do you mean by that? I'm actually really, really interested to know, because no liberal seems able (more likely, willing) to give me a fixed definition.

To address your specific concern: I'm not trolling. I've repeatedly clarified by using phrases like "anti-cop types" and "modern American progressive liberals". I'm not going to make up some 20-word compound phrase for the purposes of this conversation just to avoid getting "gotcha'd" by some sophist (you) who thinks "liberal" is a totally meaning-free word, at least at this time, because it suits you.

I assume "liberal" is a legitimate categorical designator primarily because there are millions of people in this country that happily apply it to themselves. Including you, I might add. Why affix a label to yourself that is empty of all meaning? Would you all like to be called "Vulcans" instead? If so, let me know. It makes no difference to me.

Your whole line of reasoning is a distraction. If you're truly a pro-cop liberal, then good for you--though you might want to take a look at the company you keep (like tommy008, whom no honest person could conclude is pro-cop from his posts). In any case, the fact that a broad category like "liberal" encompasses a range of individual variance does not mean it's a content-free word. The meaning of such a designation evolves through usage and (drum roll, please) generalization, not diktat or to serve the passing conversational whims of its members. Your objection is misplaced.

[joanie]

Well, anomolos, your math is as poor as your debating skills: the fifties do not constitute old age.

You must be very young, indeed. I will leave you to your foolishness and unsupported "points."

BTW, my question "why murder 2" was pure curiosity. I thought you might know. Guess not.

And, also, if you knew anything about Jefferson, he was advocating non-violent revolution. At least, that is how I recall his advocacy.

Thanks, Tommie, first-degree murder makes more sense to me given the facts cited above and the fact it was premeditated. Doesn't get much more grisly than this one.

[anomolos]

sparky sez:
Im especially sorry that a few more "anonymous" individuals have decided to use this sad thread as a means for spewing personal insults. Mike's family must really enjoy reading slams against liberals when Mike was one of the most famous liberals in Seattle. Very classy of you, I must say.

Ahhh, blatherwatch thread posters--tireless defenders of all that is classy. It's called the marketplace of ideas. I know you'll never get used to it, but you might as well try.

I was a friend of Mike Webb's (not a close one). I'm probably more upset about his death as a person (as opposed to ideological proxy) than most people here.

Probably more than anything, Mike Webb loved lively debate. You want to suppress it in his name? Way to honor the man.

[joanie]

Reading the crime report spurred some of the same questions for me. Obviously, he got an axe in the head and blood spurted to the ceiling. My god! And the mattress was blood soaked?

A bloody body was, with difficulty, dragged to the basement? It took time? And there were drag marks? Add to that the smell previously reported. Maybe the canine unit was hungry that day.

Sounds sloppy to me. But, I"m just a liberal. As was Mike. What do we know?

In any case, very sad indeed.

[joanie]

Is this Duff? This is beginning to move in circles. I'm suspicious . . .

[anomolos]

Joanie:

"I support the police...with my taxes!"

Non-violent revolution, eh? You mean, like the orderly transfer of executive power? Kind of like we've had in the U.S. for 200+ years? So let me get this straight: liberals want a kind of revolution that is indistinguishable from the status quo? That's a pretty bold position!

I'd leave you to your points as well, but that would be a cruelly lonesome existence.

[sparky]

nice try Ano...

[anomolos]

thanks, spark!

[coiler]

Duff always had a good story, especially the milk the Army wouldn't let him have.

[tall warm glass of sweat]

i think we're all missing the real lesson here:

if you come into contact with drug addicts or the homeless, SHUN THEM.

[sparky]

duffman has been mia...

[FREMONT]

Cops posted at the door is not anomalous, anomolos...the Dick's burgers were posted on the other side of the door.

Quoting you, Sparks, "looks like the period of mourning is over" re: Duf....(horrors!)

[FREMONT]

Cops posted at the door is not anomalous, anomolos...the Dick's burgers were posted on the other side of the door.

Quoting you, Sparks, "looks like the period of mourning is over" re: Duf....(horrors!)

[Andrew]

Any definition of liberal you can find won't say anything about hating cops, end of story.

[david]

anomolos's posting is most eloquent and poignant. truly beyond the level of anyone here. awesome.

[tall warm glass of sweat]

Thanks very much, David. I tried. Pearls before swine.

[anomolos]

Thanks very much, David. I tried. Pearls before swine.

[Tommy008]

Scott White, we now know the chilling details of your crafty, stealthy slaughter of a man who from all accounts was good to you, in cold blood, with a double-bladed axe. Scott B. White you are an evil, depraved punk and a coward. Your sordid selling and pawning of the dead man's belongings after his murder, is tragic but also disgusting beyond words. Scotty boy, I hope you suffer greatly in prison, through humiliation and regular "attitude adjustment", every day of the rest your miserable life. Punk.

[joanie]

Good job, Tommy.

[Andrew]

We should remember that homeless people became homeless for a reason.

[James]

So you think that all homeless people are on the streets because they are drug addicts?