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Video shows murder victim hanging off truck during Kent carjacking

KENT, Wash. — KIRO 7 obtained surveillance video showing convicted felon and carjacking suspect Gurkeerat Singh Kainth, 23, jump in and take the truck of the Kent man whose body was found in the back of his truck that was found abandoned at an apartment complex parking lot on April 16.

>> RELATED: Prosecutors say carjacking suspect admitted killing truck's owner with owner's gun

One man in the surveillance video was Kainth, investigators said. The second man in the video, identified by police as Troy Vasquez, is cooperating with investigators and is not a suspect in the carjacking of Jared Sperling's truck and subsequent death, officials said.

Moments before the theft the truck owner, Sperling, 38, was standing next to his running truck and talking to customers of the Kent storage facility he and his wife managed, according to court documents. Kainth entered the truck, and as he sped away, Sperling hung onto the side of the truck.

"Mr. Kainth drove in a reckless way to try to shake (Sperling) off the back of the car at high speeds and ultimately ended up ending his life by his own admission," said a King County prosecutor, hoping to persuade a judge to charge Kainth with first-degree murder.

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Kainth left the truck 2.5 miles away at the Cascades Homes Apartments.

Kainth was arrested for investigation of homicide, vehicle theft and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Kainth has a long criminal history, including stolen car charges from 2016, 2017 and 2018. He was booked into jail 10 times since 2016, including this latest case.