Bodyguard admits he shot man
Published 9:00 pm Thursday, November 17, 2005
When a Mukilteo man refused to pay for the time of a woman from an escort service, her bodyguard shot him three times in the head.
The bodyguard, Darwin Lavelle Williams, 32, of Everett pleaded guilty Thursday to attempted second-degree murder in connection with the incident.
Because of his extensive criminal history, Williams will be sentenced to somewhere between 23 and 30 years in prison, deputy prosecutor Ed Stemler said.
Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Ronald Castleberry scheduled a Jan. 23 sentencing date.
The Aug. 12 shooting happened after the victim arranged a date through the Internet with an escort service, then changed his mind when a woman appeared at his door. It was not the same woman depicted in the Internet ad, Stemler said.
The woman, Trissa Conner, demanded money for a cancellation fee, but the customer refused to pay and asked her to leave.
A few minutes later, her bodyguard kicked in the door of the home and demanded money. When the Mukilteo man refused, the intruder shot him three times in the head.
Despite being shot in the head, the man didn’t lose consciousness, Stemler said. He added that Williams’ gun misfired once during the shooting.
The Mukilteo man is expected to recover.
Conner, 27, who initially lied to police about the incident, has not been charged, Stemler said.
She also was not charged in a major 2002 homicide case in which she was a key witness. Rachel Burkheimer of Marysville was abducted, bound and beaten in Conner’s south Everett house hours before she was shot to death.
She testified that she didn’t call police in 2002 because she was afraid.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
