Prosecutors want to increase bail to $2 million for a 19-year-old who stabbed a handyman

RENTON, Wash. – A murder suspect released from custody has now been charged with second-degree murder.

Nineteen-year-old K’shawn Jimerson is accused of stabbing a 65-year-old neighbor who worked as a handyman at Jimerson’s home. Jimerson was released from custody the next day after a judge set bail at $50,000. Prosecutors initially asked for $2 million.

As new details about the case emerge, prosecutors plan to again request a bail increase to $2 million.

Meanwhile, neighbors still have questions about the events at the home on NE 18th Street in Renton that led to the death of 65-year-old Michael Gray.

“There were about nine police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, everything, it was sad,” said Linda Tomizek, who lives in the neighborhood. “Then when someone said someone had died, it was even worse. It’s like a shock.

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Renton police say a relative of Jimerson hired Gray to do some work around the house. It’s unclear what sparked the argument, but other neighbors reportedly heard arguing and pushing next door.

“I just didn’t understand why he would do that if nothing was going to happen. I don’t know if he ran into him and started yelling at him,” Tomizek said.

Court documents show that just moments before the fatal stabbing, Jimerson was captured on surveillance video hitting Gray with a stick as his back was turned.

The court documents then state: “Within 15 seconds of the victim entering the apartment, the defendant had already stabbed her twice with a large kitchen knife” in the right side and in the back. Jimerson then reportedly called 911 to report that he had stabbed someone.

“He called the police and said he had stabbed the guy himself. I don’t think he meant to, because who kills someone and then calls the police? He was probably looking for help,” said Sylvia Williams, who also lives in the neighborhood.

When officers arrived, they found Jimerson covered in blood and holding a bloody knife. However, investigators said he did not appear to have suffered any injuries from the incident and appeared to have tried to clean the knife after the attack.

In court documents, prosecutors say: “This violent and disproportionate response to any type of argument demonstrated why there was reasonable cause to believe that the defendant would commit a violent act.”

They plan to again ask for Jimerson’s bail to be set at $2 million. Jimerson is due back in court Thursday morning to answer the new charges.