A Lynnwood man accused of going into a jealous rage over his estranged wife was charged Friday with second-degree murder in the death of one man and attempted second-degree murder for shooting the victim’s 18-year-old brother.
Jason Fakih, 45, was being held on $2 million bail. He was scheduled to be arraigned on June 23. He is accused of the May 26 shooting death of Trevor Allen Crilly, 22, his wife’s cousin, in a residential neighborhood in north Lynnwood. Crilly was shot once in the chest.
The dead man’s brother was shot three times during the same incident. He has undergone multiple surgeries because of the shootings and had a leg amputated, according to court papers.
The 8:15 p.m. shooting happened near the Fakih residence following what witnesses said was a lot of shouting before the gunfire erupted, said Walter Sowa, deputy prosecutor.
The wife told police there had been an escalating series of threats to Crilly’s life in the days before the shooting, Sowa said. She told police she planned to divorce her husband, who had been living at another location.
She told officers Fakih believed she was having an affair with her cousin, and he became “insanely jealous” of Crilly.
Previously, several other people had heard threats against Crilly, Sowa said. Once, the wife reported to Seattle police that her husband had assaulted her, but told officers she didn’t want to press charges and “didn’t want to get him in trouble,” Sowa said.
The woman told Lynnwood police that she spoke to Crilly on the telephone the day of the shooting, and Fakih overheard the call.
He allegedly made threats, grabbed the phone and hung up. Crilly called back to make sure she was all right, and Fakih again grabbed the phone and shoved his wife to the floor, Sowa said.
Crilly and his brother drove to the Fakih residence to confront the defendant. The woman said she tried to get between the two men, but they both told her to get out of the way.
Crilly had his arms in the air, Sowa said. She told police she turned and heard a “pop.”
She looked in the mirror and saw Crilly, “his arms still up in the air, stagger and fall,” Sowa said.
Crilly’s younger brother said the two men had gone to the house to solve differences and to protect the woman and the couple’s two boys.
Before getting out of the car, Crilly had given his younger brother a knife to protect himself. When he saw his brother had been shot, the younger Crilly ran to Fakih and stabbed him, Sowa said. Then he was shot three times.
Fakih left in a blue Chevrolet Tahoe truck and was stopped by responding police. He was hospitalized for a time because of the stabbing.
Fakih told police that Crilly egged him on, telling him to fire, Sowa said.
When Crilly got to within 10 feet of Fakih, “he yelled, ‘Shoot me.’ So Fakih cocked the weapon and shot him,” Sowa said.
He told police that he thought Crilly was going to kill him, although he never saw the man with a weapon.
Jim Haley is a reporter for the Herald in Everett.
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