EVERETT — Prosecutors have filed first-degree murder charges in the killing of a homeless Everett man.
James Archer, 46, was charged Friday in Snohomish County Superior Court. He is accused in the death of David Webster, 54.
Webster died in early March and his body was recovered on April 7 in a swampy area off of Eclipse Mill Road, a spot known for homeless encampments.
Archer, Webster and Archer’s girlfriend all lived in camps in the area.
The girlfriend, Christine Simpson, 49, claimed that Webster owed her drug money. She reportedly pays other homeless people in cash or methamphetamine to collect debts. She allegedly asked Archer to confront Webster.
She and Archer both are being held at the Snohomish County Jail. She also faces potential murder charges and is accused of acting as lookout during the killing, court records show.
Webster was gagged and then strangled with a bungee cord, according to the charges. He also had head wounds from being repeatedly struck with some kind of object, likely a metal bar or hammer.
Prosecutors allege that Archer dragged the body into the swamp and covered it with a blanket to avoid detection.
Archer reportedly told police he hadn’t meant to kill Webster but “things had gotten more out of control than he had anticipated,” according to the charges.
Archer, a convicted felon, was under Department of Corrections supervision at the time. He was arrested for a probation violation on April 3. Detectives believe that was weeks after the killing but before the body was found.
His prior felonies are for drug possession and domestic-violence harassment.
Bail earlier was set at $1 million each for Archer and Simpson.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com
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