BLAINE, Wash. — An elderly man accused of killing his neighbor because he "deserved it" is facing murder charges in Whatcom County.
Wayne Mahar, 76, was charged with first-degree murder after a homicide in Blaine on Oct. 4. The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) and the Blaine Police Department were called to a residential area off California Trail Road in Blaine for a shooting at about 4 p.m. The 911 caller told dispatch that Mahar shot his neighbor.
Deputies found the victim lying face down in his driveway, where he was pronounced dead by emergency crews. Detectives learned that Mahar threatened to kill the victim because he was throwing rocks at his house and making too much noise.
A neighbor told police she saw Mahar on the front porch holding a rifle after the shooting. When she asked Mahar if she shot the victim, he replied, "Yeah."
While Mahar was interviewed by officials, he told detectives the victim was an "a**hole" and deserved to be dead. He admitted to wanting to kill the victim and shooting him from his deck. But Mahar claimed the deadly shooting was in self-defense because he said the victim came on his porch and threatened to kill him.
Nearly a year before the homicide, detectives said Mahar made a noise complaint on Nov. 17, 2022, where he told deputies he wished he could kill the victim. Authorities cautioned Mahar at the time to not make threats and to let WCSO handle the problem instead.
Officials said Mahar made more threats to kill the victim the day before the homicide. Mahar also said had one shot of alcohol on the day of the shooting. Mahar's blood alcohol level was measured at .189, over two times Washington's legal limit, four hours after the deputies found the victim dead, according to charging documents.
Mahar was booked into the Whatcom County Jail on murder charges.
