EVERETT — An Arlington man was charged Monday with second-degree murder for allegedly ending a long-running feud with his brother by shooting him in the back.
Mark Hillis, 47, had a history of disputes with his older brother, John Hillis. After an argument in their mother’s home Dec. 5, the defendant went to his room and grabbed a rifle, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Ed Stemler said in court papers.
Mark Hillis fired one shot into the ceiling, and his 52-year-old brother, who had hip problems and usually walked with a cane, headed for the door, the prosecutor said.
A second shot struck John Hillis from behind, just below his shoulders.
He was dead when deputies were summoned. Mark Hillis was stained with his brother’s blood after an unsuccessful attempt at CPR, the prosecutor wrote.
The brothers’ 80-year-old mother was at home when the shooting occurred, and she provided detectives with details. She told deputies that the pair “fought all the time,” and the latest dispute was over John Hillis’ desire to move some cattle to a different location on the farm.
The family has operated a farm outside Arlington for more than 100 years. John Hillis took over management of the business after his uncle died and his father suffered a stroke. Mark Hillis has lived in his parents’ home for more than a decade.
Questions about control of the property have been central to bitterness and lawsuits involving Hillis family members in recent years, court papers show.
On Monday, Mark Hillis remained in the county jail in Everett, his bail set at $1 million.
In an affidavit filed along with the Snohomish County Superior Court charge, Stemler asked the court to maintain Mark Hillis’ bail, to prohibit him from contact with his mother and other witnesses and to submit to electronic monitoring if he is able to find another place to live while awaiting trial.
Neighbors and Hillis family members fear for their safety, Stemler wrote.
To underscore his argument, the prosecutor quoted from a court declaration filed by John Hillis nearly two years ago. In the pleading, John Hillis called his brother “an angry and violent person” with an “uncontrollable temper.”
Scott North: 425-339-3431, north@heraldnet.com.
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