FILED
17 AUG 10 PM 2:23

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KING COUNTY
SUPERIOR COURT CLERK
E-FILED
CASE NUMBER: 17-1-04714-3 SEA

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SUPERIOR COURT OF WASHINGTON FOR KING COUNTY

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THE STATE OF WASHINGTON,
Plaintiff,
v.

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JOHN RAY STEARNS,
Defendant.

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No. 17-1-04714-3 SEA
INFORMATION

I, Daniel T. Satterberg, Prosecuting Attorney for King County in the name and by the
authority of the State of Washington, do accuse JOHN RAY STEARNS of the following
crime[s]: Murder In The First Degree, committed as follows:
Count 1 Murder In The First Degree

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That the defendant JOHN RAY STEARNS in King County, Washington, on or about
January 14, 1998, while committing and attempting to commit the crime of Rape in the First
Degree and Rape in the Second Degree, and in the course of and in furtherance of said crime and
in the immediate flight therefrom, and with premeditated intent to cause the death of another
person, did cause the death of Crystall Lavelle Williams, a human being, who was not a
participant in the crime, and who died on or about January 14, 1998;
Contrary to RCW 9A.32.030(1)(a), (c), and against the peace and dignity of the State of
Washington.
And further do allege the defendant, John Ray Stearns of commission of this crime with
sexual motivation, that is: that one of the purposes for which the defendant committed this crime
was for the purpose of his sexual gratification, under the authority of RCW 9.94A.835.

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Daniel T. Satterberg, Prosecuting Attorney

INFORMATION - 1

CRIMINAL DIVISION
W554 King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104-2385
(206) 296-9000 FAX (206) 296-0955

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DANIEL T. SATTERBERG
Prosecuting Attorney
By:

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Jeffrey B. Baird, WSBA #11731
Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney

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Daniel T. Satterberg, Prosecuting Attorney

INFORMATION - 2

CRIMINAL DIVISION
W554 King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104-2385
(206) 296-9000 FAX (206) 296-0955

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CAUSE NO. 17-1-04714-3 SEA
PROSECUTING ATTORNEY CASE SUMMARY AND REQUEST FOR BAIL AND/OR
CONDITIONS OF RELEASE
The State incorporates by reference the Certification for Determination of Probable
Cause prepared by Detective Rolf Coomber Norton of the Seattle Police Department for case
number 98-018570.
Pursuant to CrR 2.2(b), the State requests bail set in the amount of $2,000,000.00. As the
Certification for Determination of Probable Cause convincingly establishes, the defendant poses
a great risk to public safety if not in custody. On December 22, 2000, at the sentencing in King
County in case 99-1-06248-1, Judge Ronald Kessler found that the defendant’s actions in that
case – beating the victim severely, and then raping her – amounted to deliberate cruelty, and
imposed an exceptional sentence of 720 months. The defendant remains in custody with the
Department of Corrections on that charge.

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Signed and dated by me this 9th day of August, 2017.

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Jeffrey B. Baird, WSBA #11731
Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney

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Prosecuting Attorney Case
Summary and Request for Bail
and/or Conditions of Release - 1

Daniel T. Satterberg, Prosecuting Attorney
CRIMINAL DIVISION
W554 King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104-2385
(206) 296-9000 FAX (206) 296-0955

 CAUSE NO.

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cerrcN ro a D ere au w en o N
or Paoaearc Cause

98-01 8570

H 98-16

That Rolf Norton is a Detective with the Seattle Police Department and has reviewed the
investigation conducted in Seattle Police Department Case Number 98-018570;
There is probable cause to believe that John Ray Stearns committed the crime(s) of Murder
within the City of Seattle, County of King, State of Washington.

This belief is predicated on the following facts and circumstances:
The following incident occurred in the State of Washington, County of King, and City of Seattle.
On January 14, 1998 at approximately 1050 hours Seattle Parks employees James Holmen and
Don Erickson found the body of a female lying on the ground on the west side of the bathroom at
Lavizzo Park at 2100 S. Washington in Seattle's Central District.
The victim's shirt was pulled up exposing her bra. Her pants were pulled down to her thighs
exposing her genitals.
The victim was identified as 33-year-old Crystal Williams. Williams had a history
prostitution and narcotics use.

of

Detectives interviewed several acquaintances who had been hanging out with her in the area
around 20ft Av. and Yesler Way on January l4th. Y. Hicks, L. Wamer, Z.White, and T. Gober
all reported seeing Williams walking toward tle park bathroom from Yesler with a lone black
maleln the early moming hours of January l4s. None of them saw her return.

Homicide detectives processed the scene. Among other items, detectives recovered a used
condom on the ground a short distance away from Williams. The condom was between her and
the park sidewalk.
The King County Medical Examiner (KCME) autopsy determined that Williams was killed from
blunt force trauma to her face and head. She sustained a fractured skull. She had bruising to
both sides of her face. There were also indications of asphyxia. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Per standard KCME protocol, evidence was collected from Williams during the autopsy to
include anal, oral, and vaginal swabs.

Detectives submified the used condom and victim Williams' vaginal swabs to the Washington
State Patrol (WSP) Crime Laboratory for DNA analysis.

In June 2001 WSP testing recovered semen from the victim's vaginal swabs and from the
condom left near her body. A male DNA profile was identified. There were initially no matches
in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
Form

34.0

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98-018570

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In February 2004 CODIS matched the DNA profile from semen recovered from the victim's
vaginal swabs and from semen in the used condom to suspect John R. Stearns (DOB: 10-ll-62).
Stearns had felony convictions for Unlawful Imprisonment, Robbery 1, Rape 2 - attempt, Assault
3, Burglary 2,Theft l, Malicious Mischief l, and Intimidating Witness - attempt.
The bulk of Steams' criminal convictions involved violent sexual assaults on women that
occurred in a very contained geographical area in the Central District.

In 1981 Stearns asked to enter a2}-year-old woman's house in the 900 block of 25ft Av. S.
because, he said, someone was following him. The woman recognized Stearns as one of her
brother's friends and allowed him to enter. Suddenly, Steams struck the victim in the head with
a bottle, overpowered her, and raped her. She eventually convinced Stearns to leave by assuring
him they would remain friends. Stearns took her television and left. Detectives later recovered
the television from Stearns' residence. He was incarcerated for this offense from 1982 until
1987.
Stearns' convictions for Attempt Rape 2 and Robbery I stemmed from his attack on a female in
January 1989 in the 800 block of 24th Av. S. in Seattle. This occurred while he was on parole.
The location was one block away from where he raped his victim in 1981. In this 1989 incident
the female victim stepped offa bus and began walking home. Steams ran up behind her. Stearns
struck her in the head, grabbed her hair, threw her to the ground, and ordered her to spread her
legs. He choked her with one hand while attempting to penetrate her with the other. A passerby
intervened and the victim ran to a nearby store and called the police. Officers arrested Stearns a
short distance away in possession of items belonging to the victim.

In April 1999 amale broke into the residence of an 8l-year-old female victim at817 24ft Av. S.
The suspect raped the victim anally and vaginally before stealing money and leaving the
residence. Officers found the victim's pajamas and bedding were soaked with her blood. The
suspect entered by breaking a window on the NW comer of the residence. Blood was recovered
from the window area and from a paper towel left inside the victim's house during the assault. A
neighbor reported seeing Steams climbing over the fence surrounding the victim's home. The
victim told detectives that a montage that included a photo of Stearns did not include her
assailant (although she knew Steams from the neighborhood). Stearns' DNA was eventually
matched to the DNA profile from the blood at the point of entry and on the paper towel roll.
The location of this rape and home invasion robbery was essentially across the street from the
location ofStearns' sexual assault in 1989.
Stearns' convictions for Unlawful Imprisonment, Burglary 2,Theft 1, Assault 3, and Malicious
Mischief I stemmed from his July 1999 attack on a female clerk at a mini-mart at722 23'd Av. S.
in Seattle. Stearns attacked the victim with a box cutter. He slashed her face and beat her with
his fists. Stearns stole cash from the till and then removed the victim's clothing and attempted to
rape her. SPD officers responded to the incident and found Steams with his pants down,
Form

34.0E 5/98

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98-01 8570

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straddling the bloody and unconscious victim in the back room of the store. Medics rushed to
victim to Harborview for emergency surgery. Stearns told officers that he was innocent and
named another person as the "real" assailant.
Steams has been incarcerated since these 1999 convictions.

Crystal Williams' murder and the four sexual assaults committed by Stearns and detailed above
all occurred within a one-half mile radius of one another.
On March 24,2005 SPD Homicide and Special Assault detectives interviewed Stearns at
Stafford Creek Correctional Center where he was serving an approximate 40-year-sentence for
his crimes. Stearns was mirandized and stated that he understood his rights. Steams viewed
photos of Williams. He denied knowing her. He denied having sex with her. He denied being
involved in her homicide. Stearns denied ever having any sexual relations with prostitutes.
On February 3,2017 an SPD Homicide detective spoke with Stearns at the Monroe Correctional
Center again. After being mirandized Stearns stated that he had nothing further to share
regarding Williams' homicide. He also confirmed he did not want to change anything regarding
his 2005 statement to detectives.
Under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Washington, I certiff that the foregoing is
day
by me
true and cogect to best of my knowledge and belief. Signed and
W
at
Seattle,
,2017,

of

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