An Auburn man pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder at his arraignment Nov. 10 in a courtroom at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
The King County Prosecutor’s Office on Oct. 28 charged Marcus Anthony Buchanan, 27, with second-degree murder for the shooting death of 42-year-old Jeremiah WhiteEagle on Oct. 25 in the 14600 block of Southeast 368th Place in unincorporated King County.
According to police, Buchanan shot WhiteEagle three times in the chest with a .350 caliber Smith and Wesson pistol when WhiteEagle confronted him about a 38-year-old woman Buchanan had allegedly assaulted only moments before. Buchanan and the woman who alleged the assault are two of the three co-residents of the house where the incident allegedly took place.
According to the statement of probable cause submitted by the King County Sheriff’s Office, witnesses of the incident told police that in the days before the shooting, the residents had disputed who should be paying rent to whom, and who should be allowed to enter or move into the house.
WhiteEagle, who lived just across the street in a camper with his girlfriend, was reported to have been in the process of moving into that house, according to the statement.
During an interview later that evening, Buchanan allegedly told police he’d acted in self-defense, according to documents.
No previous cases involving Buchanan have been referred to the prosecutor.