NEW ORLEANS – Prosecutors have dropped a first-degree murder allegation against a man accused of killing an Edmonds businessman visiting New Orleans, saying they have no witnesses or evidence.
Lester Harris, 32, was booked with first-degree murder in the Dec. 2 robbery and beating death of Thomas Breiwick, 56.
Breiwick, a marine architect from Edmonds, was in New Orleans for the International WorkBoat show. He was killed less than a block from his hotel and died from a large head wound from an unidentified weapon.
Friday was the deadline for prosecutors to formally charge Harris with murder. Suspects in custody can be held only 60 days after booking unless they are formally charged.
“We were far short of what we needed to carry our burden of proof,” Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan said Monday.
Although blood was found on Harris’s shoe, DNA tests showed it to belong to Harris and not the victim, Jordan said. Jordan said the investigation would continue but refused to comment on whether Harris is still considered a suspect.
Arlington
Accident victim identified: A man killed early Sunday morning when his van struck a utility pole has been identified as Darren Hawthorne, 38, of Arlington, according to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Hawthorne died of injuries to his head and chest, the medical examiner’s office reported. The accident happened shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday near the intersection of Stanwood-Bryant Road and Tronson Road, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
Lynnwood
Wal-Mart bomb threat: A bomb threat emptied Wal-Mart on Tuesday afternoon.
A man called the store about 12:30 p.m. to say a bomb was set to go off at 3 p.m., according to Snohomish County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Jorgensen.
The store manager evacuated the store.
Sheriff’s deputies turned back dozens of customers headed to the store and employees clustered outside while a bomb squad searched the building. The typically packed parking lot was nearly empty.
It wasn’t clear how many employees or customers were inside at the time of the threat, Jorgensen said.
The store reopened at 4 p.m. Employees and the store’s manager declined to comment about the incident.
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