SEATTLE — A former Bothell City Council member was arrested under investigation for second-degree murder on April 30 after a woman was found dead in a south Seattle home.
The City of Bothell confirmed to KING 5 that James McNeal was arrested by Seattle police.
Seattle police received a 911 call shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday for a possible homicide. New court documents reveal it was McNeal’s attorney that called police and reported the likely homicide at a home on the 4600 block of South Orchard Street
Officers found a 20-year-old woman dead inside the home. Investigators believe the woman was strangled to death and had been dead for 24 hours.
The attorney told the 911 operator he represents someone inside the home and had not gone inside.
According to court documents, when McNeal came out of the home, he was placed into handcuffs and officers noticed blood on his clothing, and lacerations to his wrist. He was taken to the Harborview Medical Center, where he was treated for his injuries.
“It was really awful, she was really sweet,” said a neighbor of the victim, who did not want to be identified.
Police found a to-do list written by the victim dated April 29, 2024, which stated: “Do not interact w/James today.”
Neighbors told KING 5 they saw McNeal show up before.
The victim in this case was an independent contractor with Kittens Cabaret. She was a dancer at the club and employees confirm to KING 5, she worked there for several years.
"It's just painful. It's a painful situation" said Dorian Graylee, an employee at Kittens Cabaret in Seattle, where the victim worked as a dancer. "A lot of people knew the victim. It's not the easiest to deal with. We are all still taking it in."
Graylee hopes this tragedy is a wake-up call to everyone in the industry to promote safety both inside the club and after working hours.
"I want to make sure we are looking out for all the people in our society and that includes sex workers. They are victimized frequently," he said.
Neighbors say she was doing well after a tough time.
“She mentioned when she first moved here, she moved here to get away from a stalker. She was really happy, we were texting as recently as Sunday night about her cat and it was so sad because she was like everything is going really great with me,” the victim’s neighbor said.
McNeal served two terms as a Bothell City Council member and lost his re-election bid in 2023.
On Wednesday, McNeal had a first appearance court hearing. He did not appear because he remains in the hospital. His defense argued against the evidence and said the manner of death is still pending. A judge, however, did find probable cause for second-degree murder.
McNeal is set to have a bail hearing Thursday afternoon, and prosecutors have until Friday to make a charging decision.
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