A King County Superior Court judge has dismissed two counts of first-degree murder against Liam Kryger after state evaluators determined he remains incompetent to stand trial. The dismissal won’t be mean Kryger will be set free.
Following Thursday’s dismissal, the King County Prosecutor’s Office said Kryger’s case will now shift to an evaluation for civil commitment:
When someone is found not competent and there are no other options under the law to move a criminal case forward, there is a commitment to a facility like Western State for a civil commitment evaluation. That process is handled by the State Attorney General’s Office. If a long-term civil commitment is appropriate, which is anticipated in this case, Western State or a similar facility would file a petition for civil commitment separate from the prosecutor’s office.
CHS reported last month on the final stages of the legal process as a state psychiatric evaluation found the suspect in two 2024 murders of homeless men remained incompetent to stand trial.
Kryger was arrested in early 2024 and initially charged with first-degree murder in the brutal ax slaying of 52-year-old Daravuth Van, who was killed while camping outside Town Hall Seattle. Prosecutors later added a second count of first-degree murder for the February 2024 killing of 68-year-old Paul Ewell, who was attacked while sleeping outside the Seattle Men’s Chorus building along 12th Ave.
Kryger underwent three separate rounds of competency restoration spanning over a year, but a Department of Social and Health Services evaluator concluded he remains incompetent. Having exhausted all statutory options for restoration, prosecutors can no longer continue the prosecution.
Next, Kryger will undergo evaluation for expected long-term commitment at a facility such as Western State Hospital. If his condition improves in the future, DSHS is expected to notify prosecutors, who can then re-file charges in the case.
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