SEATTLE — The woman suspected in the homicide of a Seattle rideshare driver pleaded not guilty Monday to first-degree murder.
The suspect, identified as Neiana M. Allen-Bailey, was charged Aug. 15.
Allen-Bailey is accused of shooting and killing a Seattle rideshare driver, Amare Geda, while carjacking his Toyota Prius in the early morning hours of Aug. 8.
Seattle police were called to the intersection of First Avenue South near South Walker Street at around 3:30 a.m. that morning after a report that a man was lying unconscious in the roadway. When police and medics arrived, they pronounced Geda dead at the scene. He appeared to have suffered at least one gunshot wound to the chest, according to court documents.
Detectives obtained an image of the sedan from a nearby bank and linked the victim to the vehicle through the Washington State Department of Licensing database.
Detectives went to the victim's home in SeaTac where Geda's wife said he worked as an Uber and Lyft driver in his Toyota Prius. She said he was working overnight and was expected to get home around 4 a.m.
Detectives were able to track the suspect backward from the scene where Geda was shot and killed. Surveillance video eventually showed the suspect in "great detail," according to probable cause documents.
On Aug. 10, officers were sent to Ninth Avenue North and John Street for a parking complaint, for a vehicle parked in a no-parking zone in a block closed for a street fair. Officers discovered the car was Geda's stolen Toyota Prius. Plainclothes detectives surveilled the vehicle until the driver, identified as Allen-Bailey, returned. She was taken into custody shortly after.
While being interviewed, the suspect said she purchased the vehicle on Offer Up but changed her story to say she was walking through downtown Seattle and was harassed and assaulted. She told detectives she was punched and then continued to walk into SODO where she eventually encountered Geda.
The suspect said she found Geda with his head tipped over as if he was sleeping. She knocked on his window and asked if he was OK. She said she then asked if he could take her to the hospital. During her interview, she had no visible injuries, according to probable cause documents.
The suspect said Geda got out of his car and placed his hand on her shoulders and upper arms. She said she raised her shirt to display her gun and he continued to grab her shoulders. She said she then pulled the gun out and dropped it. She picked it back up and shot Geda, she said.
Geda did not say anything to her and did not assault her, the suspect told detectives.
"She said if she did not shoot [Geda], she probably would have been able to get away from him," probable cause documents state.
The suspect said the interaction lasted about two minutes.
Surveillance video obtained from a nearby bank shows Geda was outside his vehicle for about seven seconds before dropping to the ground.
On Aug. 11, a judge ordered Allen-Bailey to be held on $2 million bail. The judge agreed with prosecutors who argued that the suspect poses a flight risk. Prosecutors also asked for a high bail amount due to the seriousness of the allegations.