Man who drove off Edmonds ferry terminal killing 2 passengers pleads guilty
Published 9:42 am Thursday, July 16, 2026
EVERETT — A man accused of driving off the Edmonds ferry terminal while attempting to flee from police, killing two of his passengers, pleaded guilty to four felony charges related to the crash on Wednesday afternoon.
William Russell-Leonard, 30, admitted to being behind the wheel on the night of June 17, 2025, when the stolen Mini Cooper he was driving led officers on a pursuit from I-5 to the Edmonds waterfront before plunging off the ferry dock.
Three people, including Russell-Leonard, were pulled from the water by police, court documents said. Two other passengers, Melanie Ross, 48, and Porsha Sapp, 45, were found dead by rescue divers.
Russell-Leonard was initially charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the course of a felony, as well as two-counts of vehicular homicide, court records said.
On Wednesday in Snohomish County Superior Court, he pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide disregard for the safety of others, second-degree assault and possession of a stolen vehicle. Each of the crimes occured while Russell-Leonard was on community custody for a previous conviction.
Investigators believe Russell-Leonard stole the Mini Cooper from an ex-girlfriend days before the crash, according to an arrest affidavit from last year.
Highway Patrol initially began pursuing the car when trooper’s measured it going nearly 20 mph over the speed limit on I-5 after 11 p.m. on June 17, records said.
The pursuit lasted less than five minutes before it was terminated, but a Snohomish County Sheriff’s deputy spottted the vehicle a few minutes later and began pursuit, court documents said.
The deputy eventually lost track of the car as it drove at speeds over 120 MPH through Lynnwood into Edmonds, records said. He then found organge cones knocked over and a wooden crossing-arm broken near the entrance of the ferry dock, before hearing people screaming from the water.
Investigators believe Russell-Leonard was high on drugs at the time of the crash, according to court documents.
Superior Court Judge Cindy Larsen accepted Russell-Leonards guilty plea on Wednesday.
According to the judge, the two vehicular homicide charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, while each of the two other charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years.
In this case, the judge said the standard sentencing range for the vehicular homicide charges is 67 to 89 months, the standard range for the second-degree assault charge is 33 to 43 months and the possession of a stolen vehicle charge comes with a standard sentence of 17 to 22 months.
Russell-Leonard is set to be sentenced on Aug. 11.
Ian Davis-Leonard: 425-339-3097; ian.davis-leonard@heraldnet.com
