PORT ORCHARD, Wash. — Investigators said two suspects who were arrested Monday for the 2017 murders of a Kitsap County family were members of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, but the lead investigator said the killings were not club-related.
Suspects Danie Kelly, Jr. and Robert Watson III were Bandido members, according to investigators. A third suspect, Watson’s younger brother, Johnny Watson, was not affiliated with the club.
All three pleaded not guilty to their alleged involvement on Tuesday. They face 16 charges, including first-degree aggravated murder, first-degree murder, first-degree arson and first-degree burglary.
Other members of the gang cooperated with investigators, providing information that helped lead to the arrests, Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office Det. Sgt. Lissa Gundrum said Tuesday.
“That’s not what the club stands for,” said Gundrum. “They won’t stand for a member who kills children and women.”
In January 2017, investigators found the bodies of Christale Careaga, 37; her son Jonathon Higgins, 16; and stepson Hunter Schapp, 16; in a burned-out home near Seabeck.
Two days later, police found the body of the Careaga’s husband, John Careaga, 43, in a car that had been set on fire in Mason County.
In Jan. 2020, KCSO detectives linked the homicides to a notorious motorcycle club and said members of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club were directly involved in the killings.
According to investigators, John Careaga was selling cocaine. Some of his customers were Bandido members.
Kelly, according to investigators, was an entry-level member of the motorcycle club. Entry-level members are known as "hang arounds." However, Kelly was promoted to "prospect" after the killings, according to investigators.
Watson III was vice president of the Bremerton Bandidos in 2017, according to investigators.
Investigators said information from Bandido members suggested Watson III changed his story when club members asked if he had been involved in the killings.