ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Two people are in custody in the King County Jail after allegedly killing an Uber driver.
Court documents show the Uber driver, identified as 28-year-old Cherno Ceesay, of Kirkland, was killed almost immediately after picking the suspects up. The court documents lay out the alleged timeline.
At 9:03 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13, an Uber account was created by an email address and phone number attached to the two suspects, a man and a woman, who are both 21 years old, according to the Issaquah Police Department. The new account was used to hail a ride.
At 9:18 p.m., Ceesay picked up the suspects near the 8200 block of Renton-Issaquah Road SE.
Police said Ceesay was stabbed repeatedly in the head and neck area seconds after the suspects got in the car. The King County Medical Examiner said Ceesay was stabbed from behind.
At 9:35 p.m., neighbors along 8200 Renton-Issaquah Road SE called the police and said they found Ceesay dead in his vehicle after it crashed into a tree.
Authorities said Ceesay’s phone was taken, but it remained connected to the Uber app for more than two hours. Using GPS and traffic cameras, authorities tracked his phone to a car on South 41st Street in Bellevue near the Factoria Mall.
On Dec. 15, two days after Ceesay's death, Bellevue police arrested the two suspects on suspicion of shoplifting, and their vehicle was impounded. Police found Ceesay's phone along with two bloody knives during a search of the car.
The suspects told police they lived in the car together but denied knowing about the email address used to create the new Uber account. Both suspects asked for a lawyer.
The two suspects are being held in King County Jail on the investigation of second-degree murder.
Issaquah police did not respond to a request for comment.
An Uber spokesperson sent KING 5 the following statement: "We are devastated by this news and our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of Cherno Ceesay. We’re grateful the suspects have been caught and thank the Issaquah Police Department for their diligence with this investigation.”