SULTAN – Investigators believe an earlier argument sparked a deadly attack early Wednesday in Sultan that left a Marysville teen dead.
Five Sultan teenagers, including two brothers, are behind bars, under investigation for second-degree murder in connection with the fatal stabbing.
The victim was identified today as Antonio Faris Marks, 17, of Marysville. He died of injuries to his head and stab wounds to his torso, according to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. Officials initially had said they believed the boy lived in Lynnwood.
One suspect in the killing, Marco Antonio Castillo, 19, allegedly told police that he didn’t mean to kill the victim. He wanted to hurt him enough to prevent him from retaliating, according to court documents.
The man appeared briefly in Everett District Court this afternoon where his bail was set at $1 million.
“This murder is especially vicious,” Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Kathy Jo Blake told the judge in asking for the high bail.
Detectives say the beating and stabbing were caught on video surveillance. The video footage shows numerous people approaching Marks in the middle of the street. The boy is punched in the face, dropping him to the ground. He was struck repeatedly then stabbed several times, according to court documents.
Detectives were able to follow a trail of blood from the intersection of Fourth and Main streets. Along the way, they discovered a bloody knife, according to court documents. Investigators then went to a house in the 200 block of Cedar Avenue, where they spoke with two teenage brothers. Inside the house, they discovered bloody clothing and shoes, according to court documents.
Castillo allegedly told police he’d been in a dispute with Marks the night before. He saw the victim Wednesday on a return trip from a store. He allegedly told detectives he attacked Marks, who didn’t fight back.
Police reported that Castillo told them he pulled a knife from his pocket and stabbed the victim four to five times in the torso, according to court documents.
Castillo’s brother, 16, another boy, 16, and two girls — one 16 and another 17 — made their first court appearance this morning at Denney Juvenile Justice Center. Their bail amounts and conditions of their detention were not immediately available.
Because of the seriousness of the incident, if charged, the teens likely will be tried as adults.
The brothers lived at the house in the 200 block of Cedar Street where detectives served a search warrant Wednesday. According to county property records, the family has lived there since 2006.
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