Marysville teen arrested after fistfight that turned fatal

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, September 5, 2017

MARYSVILLE — A Marysville teen has been arrested for a fight last month that killed another boy.

The 15-year-old punched and kicked his opponent, who had already fallen down, according to police.

Officers arrested the boy at 5:10 p.m. Tuesday, more than two weeks after Robert L. Myrick Jr., 16, agreed to fight him in the woods south of Pinewood Elementary School.

About a dozen kids gathered to watch that afternoon, Aug. 19, in what is locally known as Spook Woods. Detectives believe the boys were angry at each other over a girl.

Both boys landed punches, according to police. At one point Myrick fell. The other boy continued to punch and kick him in the head, police said. Witnesses tried to revive him, but Myrick never got back up.

The boy had been knocked out for more than an hour when someone finally called 911.

Myrick was taken to a local hospital. He died from head injuries Aug. 28, more than a week later, according to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office.

After a meeting with local prosecutors Tuesday, police booked the 15-year-old into the Denney Juvenile Justice Center in Everett for investigation of second-degree manslaughter.

Police said the boy had been cooperative. His name hasn’t been released.

The case is not closed.

“The arrest does not signal the end of the investigation. Aspects of this case are continuing to be examined by Marysville Investigators,” police Sgt. James Maples said.

Caleb Hutton: 425-339-3454; chutton@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snocaleb.