Tenant accused of murdering Everett landlord pleads not guilty

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, November 19, 2025

EVERETT — David Craft, the tenant accused of murdering his Everett landlord, pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Snohomish County Superior Court. This comes almost two weeks after Daniel Lytton’s body was found in an alleyway on Rucker Avenue.

Around 11 a.m. Nov. 5, Lytton, 71, went to fix a toilet in the rental house where Craft, 40, and his mother live in the 2600 block of Grand Avenue. Later that day, Lytton’s family and friends reported him missing when he failed to return, and his phone appeared to be off.

While responding to the missing person report, Everett police interviewed Craft, who said he saw Lytton get into a Toyota van.

Around 12:22 p.m. Nov. 6, an employee of the Downtown Everett Association reported finding a possible human body in an alleyway in the 2700 block of Rucker Avenue. Four minutes later, officers arrived and discovered what appeared to be a body wrapped in several layers of fabric, tape and metal wire.

Between a nearby wall and a garbage can, officers discovered a padded snowboard bag with what appeared to be blood on the inside and outside, court documents said. Inside the bag, officers found a keychain with suspected blood on some keys and labels corresponding to house addresses Lytton owned.

Around 10 hours prior, surveillance footage obtained by investigators shows a male, matching Craft’s appearance and clothing, pulling a human-sized object with blue tape on it south through the alley with a hand truck before fleeing the scene, according to court documents.

During an autopsy by the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office, examiners removed the wrapping, made primarily of a fitted flannel sheet with a wool blanket wrapped around the body, documents said. Tape was used to keep the body inside the fabric, including a large amount of blue painters’ tape that appeared to be wrapped around the body at some point.

Clothing items consistent with the family’s description were found with the body, except for a pair of sneakers. Examiners found multiple puncture wounds, described as likely stab wounds, and signs of blunt force trauma. The final cause of death is still under investigation.

On Nov. 7, investigators interviewed Craft’s mother, who said she noticed some window curtains and a hallway rug were missing. She said Craft told her he was washing the rug and had ordered new curtains, so he took the old ones with him. Among the fabric items found with the body were off-white sheer curtains matching Craft’s mother’s description, used to bind his feet, and two rugs.

During a police interview, investigators asked Craft about the missing curtains, and he “became very nervous and defensive,” court documents said.

Around 9:30 a.m. Nov. 8, Investigators searched Craft’s home. Inside, they found faint red marks that tested positive for blood in the hallway and bathroom, court documents said. Further investigation revealed blood splatter, marks and bloody hand prints that had been cleaned up.

Several items located in the search corresponded with those found with the body, including multiple embroidered towels, a flannel flat sheet matching the fitted sheet, curtain rods, one containing small fibers consistent with the curtains, receipts from after Lytton’s disappearance and receipts investigators suspect came from the victim. Investigators also found a snowboard with rust matching the rusty imprints inside the snowboard bag found at the scene, metallic wire in the backyard matching the wire wrapped around the body and a furniture dolly, court documents said.

No video of the van was located. According to court documents, investigators believe the claim that the victim got in a van is false.

Officers booked Craft into the Snohomish County Jail on suspicion of murder in the second degree. In court Wednesday, Snohomish County Judge George Appel maintained the previously set bail of $2 million.

Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com; X: @JennaMillikan