Edmonds killer sentenced in drunken beating of roommate

A jury in May found David Hoar guilty of murder. He claimed the woman was injured in a fall.

EVERETT — An Edmonds man was sentenced Friday to 16½ years in prison for beating a woman to death in 2016.

Samantha Ellis, 45, shared an apartment with David Hoar, then 62. She suffered multiple blows to the head, including injuries consistent with stomping.

Hoar maintained that Ellis was injured during a fall. A jury last month convicted him of second-degree murder.

At the time of the homicide, Hoar was drinking about a fifth of vodka a day, according to a defense memo filed for trial. He required six days’ hospitalization for alcohol withdrawal after his arrest.

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