Murder suspect stalked homeless man before killing him with ax, Seattle police say

A Washington state man has been charged with premeditated murder after investigators say he preyed on a homeless man and brutally killed him with what appears to be an ax in Seattle.

Liam Harrison Kryger, 25, was being held at the King County jail Thursday on $5 million bond after being arrested on a first-degree murder charge Sunday at his apartment northeast of downtown.

Court papers obtained by USA TODAY show Kryger is accused in the Feb. 22 early morning slaying of 52-year-old Daravuth Van.

During a press conference Monday, Seattle police Chief Adrian Diaz said the victim was found dead about 5 a.m. outside Seattle’s Town Hall building in the city's First Hill neighborhood.

According to a Feb. 22 press release, when officers arrived at the scene that day they found the victim's body lying in an alcove of the building.

The building is several blocks from where police said Kryger lives.

A preliminary investigation by police and the coroner revealed the victim had been sleeping when he was struck in the head and killed.

Homeless man found dead by passerby

According to a probable cause affidavit, a passerby who was headed to a gym called 911 when she saw the victim on the ground with a large pool of blood by around his head.

"Van was lying under several blankets and there were two pieces of luggage lined up near him, obviously deceased, with a large gaping wound to his head and a significant pool of blood forming around him," a detective wrote in the affidavit.

A small amount of cash and his government identification card was found in the victim's front pants pocket, the detective wrote, and his personal belongings nearby "appeared to also be undisturbed."

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Cause of death: Sharp blunt force object to the skull

The King County Medical Examiner determined Van died from a "sharp blunt force object that fractured part of his skull and penetrated his brain," court papers show.

Kryger's arrest affidavit goes onto say video obtained by police from a nearby business and apartment complex captured the killing on video.

According to the document, on the day of the killing, the suspect is seen on camera circling the victim at least three times as the man appears to sleep, all while the suspect checked his surroundings for onlookers.

"After again confirming that there were no witnesses, he swings a long-handled weapon in a downward motion in the area where victim Yan was lying," the affidavit continues. "The suspect then walks out of the view oft the camera. This suspect is captured on video from additional businesses nearby within moments of the murder."

In the video, police said, the suspect's face is covered with a mask and he is wearing a green jacket with a hood, a white bandana around his neck, baggy blue jeans, and a black backpack "with a long blue handled object (axe) protruding from the backpack."

Liam Kryger arrested after warrant executed at home

About 4:30 a.m. Saturday, court documents show, officers spotted a person with a suspicious object and when police approached the man, he ran from officers and dropped an ax.

Detectives traced the ax to a purchase at an area Lowe's last month, the affidavit says, and Kryger was identified as the person who bought it after the store provided police with video of the instore transaction.

The ax, according to the affidavit, led officers to serve a search warrant at Kyrger's home where he was arrested without incident early Sunday afternoon.

During an interview with police, the detective wrote, officers showed Kryger several photos from video footage of the suspect "casing the area of victim" on day of the killing. "Kryger admitted that the person in the photos was him."

Suspect to be arraigned on murder charge

Kryger is due in court to be arraigned on the premeditated murder charge later this month, Washington County Superior Court online records show.

An attorney of record for the defendant was not listed online.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.