5 teens charged with murder in Everett mother's death

EVERETT, Wash. — Five teens have been charged with murder for the shootings of a mother and her son during a drug-related robbery in Everett on Dec. 7.

The Daily Herald reports that four of the defendants, all either 16 or 17 years old, were charged Wednesday as adults in Snohomish County Superior Court.

The fifth defendant, a 15-year-old boy, was charged Tuesday in the court's juvenile division but prosecutors have filed paperwork to move that case to adult court.

The defendants are accused of involvement in the robbery that ended in the fatal shooting of 54-year-old Julie Knechtel. She was shot in the heart and lungs while coming to the aid of her 17-year-old son, who was injured in the shooting.

Court documents say intruders went to Knechtel's home before 5 a.m. and pushed their way into a shed in which her son was sleeping.

The 17-year-old was shot in the back.

Scroll down to read details of the shooting and descriptions of the suspects.

About the shooting

The KIRO 7 assignment desk first heard about the shooting at the Village Green Mobile Home Park in the 12600 block of Gibson Road shortly before 5 a.m. last Thursday.

The victim’s daughter identified her mother; her brother, who was shot, is Michael Young.

Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Shari Ireton said the two victims lived on the same property, but the teen lived in an outbuilding.

Ireton said dispatchers received two 911 calls at about 4:45 a.m. One was about a burglary attempt and the other was about multiple gunshots fired. One call was from the victim and the other was from a neighbor.

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When deputies arrived, they found two victims with gunshot wounds. The woman died at the scene and the teenager was transported to Providence Regional Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the shoulder. He is expected to recover.

About the suspects

Five teenagers are being held on $500,000 bail each on Monday, according to MyEverettNews.com. They are awaiting charges of first-degree murder, according to reports.

Late Thursday, a 16-year-old boy was booked into the Juvenile Justice Center for first-degree murder, burglary and assault. MyEverettNews.com found court records that show Bryan "B-Money" Rodriguez-Hernandez, 16, robbed the woman's sons at gunpoint over drugs last year.

On Friday, Snohomish County detectives said they had enough probable cause to arrest another 16-year-old, Larry Dontese Dorrough, for first-degree murder.

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Detectives needed to identify three additional persons of interest -- two males and a female -- who they believe may have information related to the investigation. But as of Sunday, authorities said all suspects involved in the shooting were in custody.

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Snohomish County investigators were at the scene throughout the morning of the shooting, talking with witnesses and pursuing leads. Officers with several other agencies helped in an extensive search of the area.

"(It's a) dense, urban neighborhood, so it's pretty easy to disappear pretty quickly in this area," said Ireton.

About the victims

KIRO 7 reporter Patrick Quinn spoke with Alichia Young, the daughter of the woman who was killed. The boy who was shot but survived is Young's brother.

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Young said her mother was her role model.

"She was the best woman on this earth, and I'm not just saying that because she is my mom," said Young. "I don't know who would shoot an innocent woman and kill her."

Young said her mother worked in the garden department of Fred Meyer. She said she plans to apply to Fred Meyer to fill the shoes of her mother.

Cox Media Group