SEATTLE — The man accused of randomly attacking a woman at a Seattle light rail station, then allegedly stabbing a second woman a short time later, now faces a first-degree murder charge for a separate crime.
Alexander Jay is accused of killing Brent Morgan Wood on the night of March 2. An autopsy revealed Wood died from multiple blunt force injuries to the head.
Wood was attacked within the same 24-hour period as Kim Hayes. Jay is accused of grabbing Hayes and throwing her down a set of stairs at a light rail station twice. Hayes said she fought back, but the attack left her with broken ribs and a broken clavicle.
A short time later, police said Jay stabbed a woman 10 times at a bus stop, leaving the victim hospitalized for "a number of days."
Jay's defense attorney filed a motion to dismiss the case. On Tuesday, a judge said the charges against him will not be dismissed.
Jay was arrested for allegedly attacking the two women on March 3.
March 3 is the same day Wood's body was found face down in the 1800 block of East Olive Way.
At approximately 12:26 a.m., a witness called 911 to report seeing a non-responsive man on the ground. Seattle police officers arrived at the scene at approximately 12:29 a.m. and found the victim in the parking area of All Seasons Cleaners.
While at the scene, officers found a piece of rebar approximately 12 inches long inside a recycling bin several feet away, according to charging documents. One end of the rebar appeared to have blood on it.
Fast forward to March 22, and police submitted the rebar to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab for DNA testing.
On June 16, results from the test showed DNA on the rebar matched Wood. Preliminary information from the same test noted Jay's DNA was possibly on the rebar, according to charging documents.
Additionally, Jay is seen on surveillance footage in the area, including the All Seasons Cleaners parking area, around 11 p.m. on March 2, less than two hours before police responded to the scene, according to charging documents.
Prosecutors are asking that Jay be held on an additional $5 million bail in connection with the murder charge.
Incompetent to stand trial
After Jay's arrest, it was deemed he is incompetent to stand trial, for now.
While Jay remains in jail, he is supposed to be in inpatient treatment. The Department of Social and Health Services said this is due, in large part, to a lack of available beds, and that there likely won’t be space for him until early October.
Every day DSHS fails to admit Jay, the agency must pay him $250, after a judge's ruling in June. Jay’s defense attorney is pushing for more than that in a newly-filed motion.
During the June hearing, Judge Johanna Bender learned that DSHS had not put Jay into an inpatient facility. The judge said holding Jay in jail instead of providing him treatment is a violation of his constitutional rights.
The state agency has not paid yet, and as of August 8, the accrued sanctions, backdated to May 9, total $23,000.