EVERETT – A second person has been jailed in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found in the trunk of a stolen car Nov. 5.
Suzie Kay Le, 17, of Everett was ordered held on $1 million bail. Because of the seriousness of the offense, the court is treating her as an adult.
Everett police arrested Aaron Robert Bander, 21, of Everett on Dec. 28 in connection with the death of Terilynn S. Gardner, 18. Gardner allegedly was tied in a chair and bludgeoned to death with a hammer.
His bail also was set at $1 million. He was charged in Everett District Court with first-degree murder.
If Le is charged with murder, the case would be filed in adult court because of the seriousness of the charge, deputy prosecutor Helene Blume said. She said Le turned herself in to police over the weekend.
Police had been seeking Le, who reportedly was present when Gardner was killed, documents said.
Le appeared briefly in Everett District Court, where Judge Tam Bui set the high bail.
Gardner reportedly was killed because she was a “snitch” or informant, according to police affidavits filed in court.
Documents said she was tied in a chair and beaten in the head with a hammer before her neck was cut, according to documents.
Police got a break in the case five days after the body was found when a witness told officers that Le, who reportedly was fearful of being apprehended, had described the death.
Bander was arrested after he was spotted by officers and struggled with them. He had a loaded, sawed-off shotgun shoved down his pants, court documents said.
Police believe Bander and Le took turns beating Gardner in the head with a hammer.
After she died, the victim was wrapped in blankets, a shower curtain, a sleeping bag and other items, then wrapped in tape.
According to documents, Bander got another man to steal a car for him. The body was put in the trunk of the car and then left at an apartment complex in the 1000 block of 90th Street SW. It was discovered after the manager of the complex had the vehicle towed away.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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