Jamel Alexander (left), 29, appears in a jail courtroom Friday, accused of murdering Everett woman Shawna Brune. (Caleb Hutton / The Herald)

Jamel Alexander (left), 29, appears in a jail courtroom Friday, accused of murdering Everett woman Shawna Brune. (Caleb Hutton / The Herald)

Everett man accused of stomping woman to death

Detectives believe the man left a knit cap — with his DNA on it — at the homicide scene south of Everett.

EVERETT — A man with a lengthy record of violence allegedly stomped a naked woman with such ferocity that he killed her in a secluded green belt south of Everett, according to police reports filed in court Friday.

The suspected attacker left an Oakland Raiders cap at the crime scene — and DNA on the hat led detectives to Jamel Alexander, 29, who lived about 2½ miles away.

The Everett man, who also goes by Jamal Alexander, was arrested this week for investigation of first-degree murder of Shawna Brune, 29. A judge found probable cause to hold the suspect in jail on that allegation Friday.

A passerby walking his dog found the battered body at 9:20 a.m. Oct. 12, near a parking lot off the 11600 block of Highway 99, according to the court records.

On leaves along a trail into the green belt, sheriff’s deputies found drops of blood, a condom wrapper, a black purse and a gold high-top women’s shoe. And there was a knit cap, with blood on it, bearing the logo of the pro football team from the Bay Area.

Brune, of Everett, was nude. She’d suffered broken facial bones and swelling of the brain.

Dr. Matthew Lacy performed an autopsy at the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. He found the woman’s skin had been gouged by thorns.

“Dr. Lacy concluded the ferocity of strikes from presumably the shoes of her attacker caused (her) intense pain and suffering prior to death,” according to the police reports.

Deputies found security footage in the neighborhood, and saw what appeared to be the woman entering the apartment complex, with a man, at 9:03 p.m. Oct. 11.

The man was wearing a knit cap. Three minutes later, a camera captured movement on the dark trail. Evidence suggested the attacker beat Brune near the start of the trail, stripped her naked, then killed her farther back on the path, according to police reports. The man appeared on camera again after a half-hour, wearing the same clothes, minus the hat. Another video showed him walk into a gas station 1½ miles north of the crime scene at 9:54 p.m. Oct. 11, court papers say. He glanced up at the security cameras, and glanced down to study red staining on his left shoe. He lifted his foot to get a closer look.

Detectives showed footage to apartment managers in the area. One of them reported the man looked like Alexander, who lived off West Casino Road.

That man’s record out of California revealed he’d been jailed for participating in a street gang, assault with a weapon, assault on a school employee, second-degree robbery and carjacking, as well as nonviolent crimes, according to the court records. It appeared he’d moved to Everett around 2016.

As a felon, his genetic profile was sitting in a national DNA database. Deputies sent the cap to a state crime lab. On Thursday, the database showed an apparent match between Alexander and the DNA on the cap.

Detectives found Alexander at his apartment. He spoke with detectives. He admitted he’d met the woman on Highway 99, but that when they parted ways, she was alive and well, according to the court papers.

An examination of his body showed no injuries, according to detectives.

Deputies booked the man into the Snohomish County Jail around 4 p.m. Thursday.

Alexander entered a jail courtroom Friday afternoon with gauze on his neck. Deputy proescutor Robert Grant told a judge that as Alexander was arrested, he’d stabbed himself in the neck with a pen.

The prosecutor added that given Alexander’s history, this could be his third strike. If convicted, he’d face life in prison without a chance of parole.

Snohomish County public defender Whitney Rivera argued against a finding of probable cause for first-degree murder, saying there was no clear evidence to show the killing was premeditated. A district court judge set bail at $2 million and found cause to hold Alexander in jail on the more serious allegation.

Alexander had told police his Puma coat and his Vans shoes in the videos could be found in his home. He reported the red stains on his shoes were from a spilled energy drink, not blood.

Caleb Hutton: 425-339-3454; chutton@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snocaleb.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Cassie Franklin, Mayor of Everett, delivers the annual state of the city address Thursday morning in the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in Everett, Washington on March 31, 2022.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
At Everett mayor’s keynote speech: $35 entry, Boeing sponsorship

The city won’t make any money from the event, city spokesperson Simone Tarver said. Still, it’s part of a trend making open government advocates wary.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.