Judge sentences accomplice in 2023 Arlington murder to 25 years

Published 3:17 pm Tuesday, August 4, 2026

EVERETT — A Lynnwood man will spend two-and-a-half decades behind bars after admitting to being an accomplice in the deadly shooting of a man in a motorhome outside Arlington more than three years ago.

Tears welled in the eyes of Dillon Thomas, 32, before Judge Paul Thompson sentenced him to just under 25 years in prison during a hearing in Snohomish County Superior Court on Tuesday afternoon.

Thomas was one of two suspects accused of shooting 33-year-old Austin Hoerner inside a motorhome he lived in off 116th Street NE in Arlington on Feb. 7, 2023, court records said. Hoerner died four days later.

“I would just like to say I am truly and unbelievably sorry for the role I played in Austin’s death,” Thomas told the judge before the sentence was handed down.

Thomas pleaded guilty to amended charges of second-degree murder and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, both while he was on community custody, during a hearing in June. According to court records, he has 10 previous felony convictions, including three for assault.

Hoerner’s loved ones cried silently in the courtroom gallery. Written victim impact statements described the extent of the family’s grief.

“The defendant’s actions took Austin’s future, but they also took the future of every life Austin had yet to touch,” Kassi Furer wrote in a statement read by victim advocate Emma Wheatley. “My family will carry this loss for the rest of our lives, and our community will forever be missing a man whose greatest purpose was simply to help others. As you determine an appropriate sentence, I respectfully ask that you remember not only the crime that was committed, but also the extraordinary life that was stolen.”

David Koeppen, a second man charged in the shooting, died while in custody at the Snohomish County Jail in October 2023, according to The Daily Herald’s coverage.

In his guilty plea, Thomas admitted to being an accomplice in the deadly shooting.

Investigators said the two men broke into the victim’s motorhome while he slept inside with his wife, according to court records. Koeppen then allegedly shot the man as he sat on the edge of the bed, charging documents said.

Cell phone data and video evidence linked the two men to the crime, court records said.

They were allegedly in the area of the Hoerner residence for more than two-and-a-half hours before the shooting, according to court documents. The suspects were also seen on video leaving and returning to Koeppen’s Everett apartment before and after the shooting occurred.

Before a plea deal was reached, Thomas was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, second-degree assault, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen vehicle, court documents said.

Thomas faced up to life in prison for the second-degree murder charge with a standard sentencing range between 24 and 33 years. His unlawful possession of a firearm guilty plea included a maximum 10-year sentence with a standard range between seven and nine-and-a-half years.

The attorneys agreed to recommend a low-end sentence in the standard range that would have the unlawful possession of a firearm sentence run at the same time as his murder sentence for a total of just under 25 years in prison.

Prosecutors said the sentencing recommendation was the result of “extensive plea negotiations,” court records said.

“The defendant was culpable as well here as an accomplice,” Deputy Prosecuting Attorney William Doyle said before sentencing. “He was armed and entered the home of the victim. For his role, we believe the recommendation here, because the defendant was armed with a gun and ultimately was assisting Mr. Koeppen, that this adequately takes into account his role. It is still a murder charge and a significant amount of time.”

Thomas’ defense team wrote that he has suffered from addiction since he was a teen, a cycle he hopes to break while incarcerated.

“The time in prison will give him the chance to accept some help in addressing his addiction and tools to live a sober, productive life,” the defense wrote in its sentencing memorandum.

Ian Davis-Leonard: 425-339-3097; ian.davis-leonard@heraldnet.com