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Three defendants plead not guilty in murder of 13-year-old boy from Kent


Three defendants plead not guilty in murder of 13-year-old boy from Kent

Three other co-defendants pleaded not guilty to robbery and murder charges in connection with the killing of a 13-year-old boy from Kent.

Semarias Woods, 17, of Kent, and brothers Diaviante Dunmore, 20, and Marsais Dunmore, 16, each pleaded not guilty to the convicted murder and first-degree robbery charges at their arraignment Monday, Aug. 12, in King County Superior Court at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, the King County District Attorney’s Office said.

Marsais Dunmore, who fired the shot that killed Matthiew Stavkoviy at Turnkey Park (23300 100th Ave. SE) in Kent on July 16, also faces second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon because he is under 18.

Faysal Abdullahi, 18, of Kent, the first of four co-defendants in the case, pleaded not guilty on August 5. He is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on August 19. The other three are scheduled to appear in court on September 5.

All four co-defendants remain in custody. Bail was set at $2 million, according to the King County District Attorney’s Office. Abdullahi and Diaviante Dunmore are being held at the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle, according to jail records. Woods and Marsais Dunmore are being held at the Seattle Juvenile Detention Center.

Despite their age, prosecutors charged Woods and Marsais Dunmore as adults rather than juveniles, which is permitted under state law for felony charges.

Judge Paul Crisalli granted a request by prosecutors to move future hearings in the cases from the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent to the King County Courthouse in Seattle. Prosecutors had requested the move to Seattle because two of the co-defendants remain housed in the county’s only juvenile detention center, according to the King County District Attorney’s Office. The county has adult prisons in Kent and Seattle.

Crisalli has also granted requests from defense attorneys to prevent the media from showing defendants’ faces during arraignments, court documents show. Defense attorneys often ask judges to allow only photos or videos from the neck down to preserve a prospective juror’s impartiality. Judges vary in their decision on whether to grant such a request.

According to charging documents, Abdullahi allegedly arranged to meet with a friend of Matthiew’s who sold camera equipment through OfferUp, an app for selling items, and robbed him of the camera equipment. Diaviante Dunmore reportedly met with Abdullahi at Turnkey Park to finalize the deal, and Marsais Dunmore allegedly showed up with a gun and shot Matthiew and his 15-year-old sister as they fled the scene in an ATV. One shot struck Matthiew, killing him, according to the King County Coroner’s Office.

Woods was allegedly the getaway driver and parked at an apartment complex near the park, charging documents state. Kent police eventually tracked down and arrested all four men.

Investigators used IP addresses from the OfferUp records and cell phone records to locate the Kent home addresses of Abdullahi and the two brothers. Investigators recovered some of the stolen camera equipment from Abdullahi’s apartment.

Detectives also seized the vehicle allegedly used in the crime, which belonged to the Dunmore brothers’ father.

Woods came with his mother and a family friend to turn himself in at Kent Police Station. It was the fourth and final arrest in the case.


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