July 3, 2014
Seattle Suspect May Have Targeted Victims on Grindr or Jack'd
Winnie McCroy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Ali Muhammad Brown, a suspect in the murders of two gay men in Seattle on June 5, may have met his victims on a social networking app like Grindr, reports KIRO TV today.
"While Said was at R Place, he was constantly on his phone and appeared to be texting on an app like Grindr or Jack'd -- mobile apps used by gay men to meet others," KIRO TV reported, saying said that an unnamed friends of victim Ahmed Said told them that he was meeting a "friend" outside the club that night that they did not think he had met before, and that they were "creeped out" by the man later identified as Brown.
As EDGE reported on June 9, 26-year-old Ali has been on the run after being charged with the murders of 23-year-old Dwone Anderson-Young and 27-year-old Said while the men were walking home from R Place, a gay nightclub at Boylston Avenue and East Pine Street on Capitol Hill.
His fellow suspect, 26-year-old Matalepuna Malu, turned himself into the Seattle Police Department on June 8, and was arrested. He was not charged with the murders, but was held on unrelated second-degree charges from an assault case in lieu of a $100,00 bail.
"Police have not referred the case to the prosecutor's office -- an unusual step after a double homicide arrest," KIRTO-TV wrote.
Brown is believed to be a transient who had frequented Seattle's King County area. KIRO TV reports that the police found Said's gold 2001 Mitsubishi Gallant in South Seattle, with an "exorbitant amount of blood in the passenger seat." Brown's palm print was found on the interior side window and 9mm shell casings matching those found at the crime scene were found in the car. Brown's mother reportedly told police that she had recently purchased a 9mm semiautomatic pistol and that it was missing.
Police say the suspect is also familiar with East Orange, New Jersey, and is wanted in Ocean City on a $500,000 arrest warrant, in addition to other possible crimes in New Jersey and Washington. Brown has been charged two counts of aggravated first-degree murder; if convicted, he could face the death penalty.
Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women's news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
