Lawyer charged with attempted murder

Bellevue police found a fake beard, pistol, bulletproof vest and other items in the trunk of a car owned by a Mill Creek lawyer who was arrested Wednesday in the shooting of another attorney in Bellevue, court papers said.

William Richard Joice, 50, was charged Monday in King County Superior Court with first-degree attempted murder in the shooting of Kevin Jung, 44, of Bellevue.

Joice is a former deputy Snohomish County prosecutor, and has served as a defense attorney for the last four years. He is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 18.

Jung was shot once in the head, and remained in critical condition Monday night at Overlake Medical Center in Bellevue.

What documents termed a “murder kit” was in a soft-sided briefcase found in the trunk. Among other things, it contained neoprene police-style gloves, the fake beard and mustache, headphones to fit a police scanner, a homemade silencer and a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol.

In addition, there was a small pouch made partly out of a plastic sandwich bag that was stuck to the side of the silencer with duct tape, apparently to catch ejected shell casings, documents said.

Joice, who is being held on $5 million bail, was arrested by Everett police Sgt. Wayne Meyer after an eyewitness to the shooting jotted down the license number of a 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix that quickly left the parking lot near Jung’s office about 9:15 a.m. that day.

The car was rapidly traced to a south Everett rental agency, and the owner called police when Joice returned the car later that morning.

Joice walked away from the rental agency, and Meyer acted on a hunch and called Yellow Cab to see if someone had called for a pickup in the area. Someone called for a pickup at 63rd Street and Wetmore Avenue.

Meyer spotted Joice about 10 blocks from the rental agency and arrested him before the cab arrived.

The two attorneys had been in a contentious civil court battle on opposite sides of a case over the sale of a Korean grocery store in Lynnwood.

They had been scheduled to be in court Wednesday, where Jung was going to ask for sanctions and a $2,000 fine for Joice not providing information.

Joice previously had been fined about $6,000 for similar actions in the same case. Document said two liens had been filed previously on Joice’s Mill Creek home, one for more than $18,000 by the IRS and the second for $245 for failure to pay homeowner association dues.

Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Everett
Police search for suspect in attempted kidnapping

A female said a man attacked her and attempted to pull her into his vehicle. She fought him off and was able to escape, police said.

Bothell
Mexican citizen, living in Bothell, indicted on child pornography charges

The suspect in the case was previously registered as a sex offender, police say. His registration was terminated in 2017 when he was turned over to federal authorities for deportation.

Provided photo 
Tug Buse sits in a period-correct small ship’s boat much like what could have been used by the Guatamozin in 1803 for an excursion up the Stillaguamish River.
Local historian tries to track down historic pistol

Tug Buse’s main theory traces back to a Puget Sound expedition that predated Lewis and Clark.

Archbishop Murphy High School on Friday, Feb. 28 in Everett, Washington. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Former teacher charged with possession of child pornography

Using an online investigation tool, detectives uncovered five clips depicting sexual exploitation of minors.

A person waits in line at a pharmacy next to a sign advertising free flu shots with most insurance on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Have you had the flu yet, Snohomish County? You’re not alone.

The rate of flu-related hospitalizations is the highest it’s been in six years, county data shows, and there are no signs it will slow down soon.

City of Everett Principal Engineer Zach Brown talks about where some of the piping will connect to the Port Gardner Storage Facility, an 8-million-gallon waste water storage facility, on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Port Gardner Storage Facility will allow Everett to meet state outflow requirements

The facility will temporarily store combined sewer and wastewater during storm events, protecting the bay from untreated releases.

Founder of Snohomish County Indivisible Naomi Dietrich speaks to those gather for the senator office rally on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Membership numbers are booming for Snohomish County’s Indivisible chapter

Snohomish County’s Indivisible chapter, a progressive action group, has seen… Continue reading

Lands commissioner plans to keep working with feds

Dave Upthegrove expects to continue to work with U.S. Forest Service, after Trump’s latest executive orders aimed at boosting logging.

Melody Schneider holds a sign protesting pay cuts to teachers as an Edmonds School District bus passes by during Edmonds College faculty union rally as part of a national day of action outside of the Lynnwood Event Center on Tuesday, March 4, 2025 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County educators rally against state and federal cuts

Gov. Bob Ferguson proposed state employees take one furlough day a month for two years to address the budget shortfall.

Two suspects sought in attack, robbery of Marysville bus driver

Anybody with information on the case is encouraged to notify the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.

Everett
Judge sets bail at $2M for second suspect in Everett fatal shooting

Martin Mirey Alvarez, 18, was booked into Snohomish County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder.

Rick Steves speaks at an event for his new book, On the Hippie Trail, on Thursday, Feb. 27 at Third Place Books in Lake Forest, Washington. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Travel guru won’t slow down

Rick Steves is back to globetrotting and promoting a new book after his cancer fight.

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.