A suspect accused of beating an elderly disabled man to death with a metal pole in downtown Seattle was facing different charges eight days earlier but was freed by a judge without bail on the condition he would “not commit any crimes.”
Aaron Fulk, 48, is being held in a King County jail on first-degree murder charges for allegedly murdering Rodney Peterman, 66, on August 2, KOMO News reported. The suspect pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The brutal attack happened on 3rd Avenue and Pike Street – an area known to be filled with crime and drug abuse – at around 3:00 p.m., according to the Seattle Police Department.
According to a police report obtained by the Seattle Times, Fulk was seen by an officer beating Peterman with a metal pole and proceeded to strike the victim a third time even after he was unresponsive.
“[The victim] was attempting to get away from the suspect and yelling for help when he was attacked,” the Times reported citing King County court records. Peterman was unarmed and used a walker to move around.
The victim died four days later in hospital.
The suspect attempted to walk away but was arrested moments later.
Fulk’s attitude toward his alleged crime was indifferent and callous when talking to officials afterward, KING 5 reported:
Officers at the scene said Fulk did not show any remorse for the attack, telling medics, “he’s crippled now, isn’t he?” Fulk allegedly said. “If I have to go to jail for it. I will,” and signaled his intention to kill him when he said, “I’m gonna kill him a million times over.”
Fulk told officers he beat the elderly man because “he was doing the devil’s work.”
“The defendant admitted to officers that he was trying to kill the victim, and while acknowledging the victim was the first that he attacked in this manner, [he] made it clear this victim would not be his last,” according to Senior Deputy Prosecutor Gretchen Holmgren via the Times.
Eight days before the deadly attack, Fulk was in court on charges of threatening a transit safety officer in Tacoma.
Despite Pierce County prosecutors pushing for a $10,000 bail, Superior Court Judge Phillip Thornton freed Fulk without bail on the condition he would “not commit any crimes” and appear in court, KOMO News reported.
The suspect had previously been convicted in Idaho on aggravated battery and assault charges.
Seattle is one of many American cities experiencing an uptick in crime over recent years. As Breitbart News reported, crime in Emerald City reached a 14-year high in 2021.
The crime wave in the pacific northwest’s largest city has been labeled as a “criminal and humanitarian emergency” by local residents.
Soft bail laws applied by judges – such as Judge Thornton – and prosecutors across the nation have released many suspected criminals back on the streets that end up being arrested for more serious crimes.
In the case of New York, one-in-five suspects arrested for burglary or theft would go on to commit a felony less than 60 days after being freed under the state’s No Bail law, Breitbart News reported.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
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