EVERETT — A Marysville man accused of a string of drive-by shootings in Snohomish County, including one that ended a 15-year-old girl’s life, is about to face more charges.
Erick N. Walker, 27, appeared briefly Wednesday in Snohomish County Superior Court, where a new trial date was set and prosecutors said they are preparing to file five additional felony charges.
Walker had been scheduled to go on trial next month. He’s charged with first-degree murder in the June 1, 2013, death of Molly Conley in Lake Stevens. He also faces four counts of drive-by shooting for bullets fired into homes in Marysville and Lake Stevens before sunrise the next day.
Walker’s new trial date is June 13.
Prosecutors are preparing to also charge Walker with four counts of first-degree assault with a firearm, plus an additional count of drive-by shooting, deputy prosecutor Ed Stemler said after the hearing.
The assault counts, which put Walker at risk of decades in prison, focus on people who were fired upon during the drive-by shootings already charged, Stemler said.
The additional time before trial is necessary because the investigation of what happened continues, Stemler said.
Walker’s attorney, Mark Mestel of Everett, said his client understands the reason for the trial continuance.
“We are hopeful this will be a good trial date,” he told the judge.
State forensic scientists reportedly have matched five bullets recovered in the shootings with two handguns seized from Walker’s home. While the bullet that killed Molly has not been recovered, prosecutors believe they can build a circumstantial case that the gunfire that ended the girl’s life was part of the same shooting spree.
Molly, a freshman from Seattle’s Bishop Blanchet High School, was celebrating her 15th birthday at a friend’s Lake Stevens home. She was walking with girlfriends who had just been at a nearby park, when somebody shot her, apparently from a passing car.
Walker has acknowledged being in the area the night Conley was killed. He told detectives he was driving around Lake Stevens and got lost looking for a restaurant.
He’s pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Scott North: 425-339-3431; north@heraldnet.com
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