SEATTLE — Seattle police have arrested a man suspected of murdering a Navy veteran at a Bitter Lake assisted living facility last year.
Police said Francis Patrick Fleming, 70, was tortured and his throat was cut so severely that he was nearly decapitated following a robbery on Dec. 8.
After Fleming was found slain in his apartment, detectives learned that Fleming's extensive collection of rare coins was missing.
According to a police report, Jungbluth initially told investigators he didn't know Fleming, but after his arrest and questioning by detectives, he admitted he plunged a knife into Fleming's neck.
Investigators said DNA evidence found inside Fleming's bloody, ransacked apartment in December led police to a 51-year-old suspect, Charles Jungbluth, who was arrested by Snohomish County Sheriff's deputies Thursday afternoon at the request of Seattle police homicide detectives.
Jungbluth's Friday court appearance lasted just 1 minute and 3 seconds, but the allegations against him could send him to jail for life. His bail has been set at $1 million.
Prosecutors have till Tuesday to file charges, which will most likely be first-degree murder.