SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — A 24-year-old man pleaded guilty today for his role in a deadly home invasion in Everett.
In 2022, Irah Sok was shot and killed while her 7-year-old child lay next to her in bed.
According to the plea agreement, Christopher Johnson admitted he was part of the crew that broke into Sok’s home.
According to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, Johnson, 29-year-old Kevin Thissel, and several others spent that summer targeting a series of homes.
“The crew would break into homes in the middle of the night dressed in black and sometimes claimed to be police officers while pointing guns at the families inside. The robbers wore masks and used zip ties to restrain victims, including children as young as nine, before ransacking homes for valuables,” the sheriff’s office said.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, each member of the robbery crew had a certain job: identifying potential victims based on social media posts about their wealth or collections; surveilling the target homes; serving as a driver; kicking in the door; corralling the family; holding the victims at gunpoint; and ransacking the homes for valuables.
One of those robberies included Sok’s home. KIRO 7 spoke to her family after her murder.
“Amazing mother, amazing wife,” said Makara Sok, her husband, shared. “I love her to death. I wish she still here with me right now.”
They shared that she’d recently opened a photography business in Mill Creek—a lifelong dream.
Johnson was sentenced to 25-years in prison as part of today’s plea agreement.