King County prosecutors have charged a 43-year-old Seattle man with murder for the shooting death of a 34-year-old man in October 2023 in unincorporated King County near Auburn and Federal Way.
King County prosecutors filed two felony charges on May 28, 2024, of murder in the second degree and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree against Deatrix C. Marks, 43, for the Oct. 26, 2023, shooting of Devonte A. Jamerson, 34.
Jamerson died two days following the shooting on Oct. 28, 2023, as a result of the injuries he suffered from a single gunshot wound to the neck with no exit wound.
According to charging documents, law enforcement arrested Marks on April 16 for misdemeanor allegations that he subsequently pleaded guilty to on May 24.
According to documents, at the time of the Oct. 2023 shooting, Marks held two outstanding warrants for an unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree charge and an assault in the fourth degree charge.
Surveillance video showed Marks and Jamerson face to face “and within inches of each other,” with Jamerson appearing to be yelling at Marks. Video showed Marks shoot Jamerson once, start to run away, and return to retrieve Jamerson’s hat prior to fleeing the scene in a vehicle not belonging to him.
The King County Sheriff’s Office responded at approximately 1 p.m. Oct. 26, 2023, to an apartment complex in the 31600 block of Military Road South after receiving a report of a shooting at the location. Law enforcement located Jamerson with a firearm on his person in a holster, in addition to a single .380mm fired cartridge casing at the scene, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Emergency services arrived and transported Jamerson to Harborview Medical Center via King County Medic One where staff rushed Jamerson into surgery and subsequently placed him on a ventilator, according to the affidavit.
Jamerson died at Harborview two days later.
Detectives identified Marks as a suspect through investigation.
Prosecutors have requested the King County Superior Court set Marks’s bail at $2 million.
Judge Josephine Wiggs signed an order to issue a summons or warrant of arrest for Marks on May 28.
