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News & ArtsMonday, November 9, 2009
Crime SPD: More Details on Brenton Murder Suspect
Posted by Unpaid Intern on Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 7:06 PM
Post by news intern Garrett McCulloch
This afternoon, Seattle Police released a slew of additional information about Christopher Monfort, the suspect in the killing of Officer Timothy Brenton. Police said DNA collected from scene of an October 22 arson of police vehicles matches Monfort's DNA, and they found explosive devices and the modified rifle believed to have killed Brenton in Monfort's Tukwila apartment. Ballistics tests also matched bullets found at the murder scene with the rifle, police said.
Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel said the arson at a police car parking lot in South Seattle could have been—and was designed by the suspect to be—much more destructive. Igniting two "mobile precincts" was allegedly designed to lure officers into a second, lethal explosion, Pugel said. Officers narrowly avoided the blast of two patrol cars because a facility employee led them in another direction after a suspect, he said. If responding officers had parked near the first explosion, "they would have likely been killed or seriously maimed," said Pugel.
Monfort's DNA sample came from a bandana with an American flag pattern, which Pugel said police picked up largely because it was an unusual item to find at a crime scene.
Before the arson, Seattle Police officers' last contact with Monfort was an October 15 traffic stop. A patrol car stopped Monfort in the Leschi neighborhood—he was then driving a dark green Ford, which looked a lot like a police cruiser—after he made a turn without signaling. The officers cited him for an expired insurance card, but there was no other incident at the time.
- The gun that allegedly killed Brenton
Prosecutors are preparing to file charges against Monfort in the next few days.
Police also released more details on Monfort's capture in Tukwila, as well as photographs of the improvised explosives found in his apartment, one of which was wrapped in pieces of metal police believe was designed to increase the amount of shrapnel fired off in an explosion.
More photographs from the suspect's apartment at the SPD Blotter.
4
wtf, this fucker's crazy. i'm glad they caught him before he could do more damage. i wonder if he took chem 124/142 at the UW or community college.
5
Is anybody else disturbed by all those explosives in an apartment complex? Hopefully the guy didn't smoke. Oh and yeah, looks like he did it. If he recovers, I hope he gets the psychiatric help (and obviously confinement from society) that he needs. Humans are such sad creatures. This man cared so much about some wrongheaded idea to indiscriminately take the life of another. What goes through one's mind? What is the rationale for such a killing? The premeditation, the other attempts- what a shame; what a waste.
6
@3 killing him would've saved us a lot of tax payer dollars from legal costs and keeping him in prison.
7
Judging by that KUOW sticker on the floor next to the rifle, I think it's safe to say Steve Scher or Garrison Keillor drove him to this heinous deed.
8
@6: That's good. Maybe they should put that in the SPD employee conduct manual. Something like:
"It is the individual officer's responsibility to minimize costs and conserve taxpayer dollars. This responsibility includes but is not limited to, turning off engines of patrol vehicles when stopped for extended periods, minimizing expenditures for meals and other employee benefits, utilizing current technology to streamline clerical procedures, and SHOOTING TO KILL WHENEVER POSSIBLE."
Great idea...
"It is the individual officer's responsibility to minimize costs and conserve taxpayer dollars. This responsibility includes but is not limited to, turning off engines of patrol vehicles when stopped for extended periods, minimizing expenditures for meals and other employee benefits, utilizing current technology to streamline clerical procedures, and SHOOTING TO KILL WHENEVER POSSIBLE."
Great idea...
9
Jerod, clearly your understanding of the use of lethal force leaves something to be desired. Every time you pull the trigger, you're shooting to kill. Otherwise, the use of lethal force isn't justified in the first place.
And yeah, Matt, I see your point. There's something faintly comforting about knowing that this scumball will, at the very least, live a long, boring, painfully tedious life behind bars. But I still think it's a waste of taxpayer money.
And yeah, Matt, I see your point. There's something faintly comforting about knowing that this scumball will, at the very least, live a long, boring, painfully tedious life behind bars. But I still think it's a waste of taxpayer money.
10
Wanna save taxpayer money? Start demanding your lawmakers legalize victimless crimes. Justice - real justice - is never a waste of taxpayer money.
Getting off the soapbox to make a few observations... Wonder if this guy wanted to get caught, like sometimes serial killers do? He uses an old Datsun that sticks out like a sore thumb, he doesn't try to hide it from prying eyes, and he doesn't try to staff his arsenal anywhere.
Wonder if he'll ask his attorney to suggest "jury nullification" at his trial?
Getting off the soapbox to make a few observations... Wonder if this guy wanted to get caught, like sometimes serial killers do? He uses an old Datsun that sticks out like a sore thumb, he doesn't try to hide it from prying eyes, and he doesn't try to staff his arsenal anywhere.
Wonder if he'll ask his attorney to suggest "jury nullification" at his trial?
11
Remember the idiot 20 y.o from a couple of years ago who brandished a gun in front of a few cops in front of twice told tales to only get himself shot and killed? Well that fucker had a 5 page criminal record and had gotten out of jail one week before got killed. had he lived, he most likely would've been a constant reoffender costing us thousands in tax payer dollars for the legal procedures as well as his incarceration, in addition to the countless other crimes he would've committed in the future. While I'm usually a kind and understanding person, but senseless crimes like these piss me the fuck off.
12
@10 i do agree with you that. crimes like minor drug offenses should just be fined. you'd make more money fining people $100 for pot than the $10000 in court fees to convict someone for possessing a blunt.
14
Matt, I'm with both you and aprés on the victimless crimes thing. I've got thousands upon thousands of posts here going back a lot of years, and if you're bored enough to slog through them all, you'll never find even one example of me saying anything else.
15
Rifle is a Kel-Tec SU-16. Before anyone tries to say that we need tighter gun laws, know that this rifle doesn't have any of the "assault rifle" features that were in the previous ban. It's even legal for sale in California.
17
Maybe Joe Lieberman will want his senate committee to investigate whether this is a case of terrorism.
18
How about proofreading or having someone proofread your piece? You repeatedly refer to the suspect as "Manford" in the middle, while correctly spelling his name "Monfort" at the beginning and end.
19
@15 - But "assault rifle" sounds so much scarier!
@10 - Reports I heard said the car was covered with a tarp and was called in by a citizen, they took it off for pictures.
His "bombs" are pretty shitty from what I can see, small explosion but good for starting fires.
Anyway, glad they caught the guy. I don't support the death penalty, I think that is the easy way out. Instead I hope he gets to spend the rest of his life in prison regretting his actions.
@10 - Reports I heard said the car was covered with a tarp and was called in by a citizen, they took it off for pictures.
His "bombs" are pretty shitty from what I can see, small explosion but good for starting fires.
Anyway, glad they caught the guy. I don't support the death penalty, I think that is the easy way out. Instead I hope he gets to spend the rest of his life in prison regretting his actions.
20
@9: If you read my comment, you'll understand that I wasn't questioning the decision of the officers on scene to use lethal force, but rather your bloodlust in hoping that that end had been achieved.
Using financial justification for the taking of a life should be abhorrent to even the most callous of observers.
Using financial justification for the taking of a life should be abhorrent to even the most callous of observers.
21
A friend of mine was murdered several years ago. The guy who did it killed several other people and then took his own life. Trust me, it's not any easier on the survivor's if the murderer dies. In fact, it might even be harder.
I'd much rather have the guy in jail where he can be observed and used as a research tool. Also, jail is much more of a punishment in my opinion.
I'd much rather have the guy in jail where he can be observed and used as a research tool. Also, jail is much more of a punishment in my opinion.
23
It seems obvious that he did it, but...
Doesn't some of that evidence seem suspicious to anyone? I mean, I know that in television like "The Mentalist" or "Murder, She Wrote", people drop items of personal identification at the scenes of their crimes, but doesn't this seem a bit pat, here? Someone having just murdered a cop thinks to (or accidentally) drops a memento that connects them to another crime? And that memento (even a "flag"?) contains enough DNA to cement the conviction?
Okay, I know that some psychos like to leave a "signature" (especially in fiction), but this just seems so... fictional to me. I mean, even if you read the police report, and visualize each step in the sequence of events, it all seems very realistic (and probable), until you hear that the driver (presumably having driven himself into a lather of adrenaline and fear and determination), now having done the deed successfully, backs up his car, swings himself around, and -- despite whatever instinct he has to focus on just getting away without being shot (he was being shot at, after all!) -- thoughtfully tosses out his window a bandana that matches some symbol from a past crime and is smeared with enough DNA (hair?) to prove his guilt. Really?
For me, that police report was very, very well written, and I'm guessing that the guy was guilty, but there were also a handful of red flags!
The tip from the apartment manager was another one. How many cars matching that description exist in our region? Many, many, right? The tenant was not otherwise suspicious, was he? I hadn't even heard the description on the news, but somehow the manager not only heard the description, but remembered (weirdly) that someone in his building owned such a car, looked out his window at the slot where said car is typically parked, and noticed that the car in the slot was covered? And he thought himself certain enough about his suspicion to call the police?
There's so much in this investigation that seems contrived -- too good to be true. Why is it that murders (other than the murders of the police) are never so efficiently solved and so assured in their evidence? It's great that the police care so much about their own, at least.
I hope the guy lives, so we can be sure it was him. The part of me that believes in conspiracies, however, expects that he won't survive to trial.
More...
Doesn't some of that evidence seem suspicious to anyone? I mean, I know that in television like "The Mentalist" or "Murder, She Wrote", people drop items of personal identification at the scenes of their crimes, but doesn't this seem a bit pat, here? Someone having just murdered a cop thinks to (or accidentally) drops a memento that connects them to another crime? And that memento (even a "flag"?) contains enough DNA to cement the conviction?
Okay, I know that some psychos like to leave a "signature" (especially in fiction), but this just seems so... fictional to me. I mean, even if you read the police report, and visualize each step in the sequence of events, it all seems very realistic (and probable), until you hear that the driver (presumably having driven himself into a lather of adrenaline and fear and determination), now having done the deed successfully, backs up his car, swings himself around, and -- despite whatever instinct he has to focus on just getting away without being shot (he was being shot at, after all!) -- thoughtfully tosses out his window a bandana that matches some symbol from a past crime and is smeared with enough DNA (hair?) to prove his guilt. Really?
For me, that police report was very, very well written, and I'm guessing that the guy was guilty, but there were also a handful of red flags!
The tip from the apartment manager was another one. How many cars matching that description exist in our region? Many, many, right? The tenant was not otherwise suspicious, was he? I hadn't even heard the description on the news, but somehow the manager not only heard the description, but remembered (weirdly) that someone in his building owned such a car, looked out his window at the slot where said car is typically parked, and noticed that the car in the slot was covered? And he thought himself certain enough about his suspicion to call the police?
There's so much in this investigation that seems contrived -- too good to be true. Why is it that murders (other than the murders of the police) are never so efficiently solved and so assured in their evidence? It's great that the police care so much about their own, at least.
I hope the guy lives, so we can be sure it was him. The part of me that believes in conspiracies, however, expects that he won't survive to trial.
24
@5280, What (for you) is the value of due process? When (do you think) a cop should decide a person's guilt, reach a verdict, and execute his/her sentence? Or is that not a cop's job?
25
"Is this guy a Tim McVeigh wannabe"
well except he was a radical leftist who believed in jury nullification and saw the police as the enemy of minorities....kind of like half the Sloggers here.
"Start demanding your lawmakers legalize victimless crimes."
Oh yes, what a fun town we'd live in then. Do whatever the fuck you want, whenever the fuck you want to. I'd rather have the broken window theory then the 'let the bums roam free' policy Seattle is adopting.
well except he was a radical leftist who believed in jury nullification and saw the police as the enemy of minorities....kind of like half the Sloggers here.
"Start demanding your lawmakers legalize victimless crimes."
Oh yes, what a fun town we'd live in then. Do whatever the fuck you want, whenever the fuck you want to. I'd rather have the broken window theory then the 'let the bums roam free' policy Seattle is adopting.
26
@ 5280, I wasn't trying to imply that you felt otherwise. I just get tired of the "taxpayers' money" meme, especially in cases where the expense is entirely justified. Apres Moi makes a good point regarding habitual offenders, but clearly Monfort is in another league entirely. This guy is either getting life without parole or death, not the revolving door.
28
"you're a dope whose opinion doesn't count"
Really? Who do you think politicians listen to you, or me, middle income, property owners? If it was you, wouldn't all these bums have gold polished homes and enough welfare to make a Dane blush?
Really? Who do you think politicians listen to you, or me, middle income, property owners? If it was you, wouldn't all these bums have gold polished homes and enough welfare to make a Dane blush?
29
@28, I've got no dog in this fight, but after reading some of your posts, I've got to agree with Matt. You are a dope, and your opinions really don't count.
30
@28: once you REGISTER, you're not (as much of) a dope.
compared to mcveigh or the unabomber, who occupy right and left, respectively, of the misanthropic libertarian sociopath realm, monfort is an amateur. they THINK they're political, but they're really just fucking nuts.
compared to mcveigh or the unabomber, who occupy right and left, respectively, of the misanthropic libertarian sociopath realm, monfort is an amateur. they THINK they're political, but they're really just fucking nuts.
31
"your opinions really don't count."
Of course my opinions don't count, that's why there's no bums on the streets of Seattle and they all have 'affordable housing'.
Of course my opinions don't count, that's why there's no bums on the streets of Seattle and they all have 'affordable housing'.
32
@ 31, I am a middle income homeowner.
The reason you're opinion doesn't count is because it's rooted in fantasy and presumption. For example, I called for an end to victimless crimes and you took that and leaped into the void of illogical and intellectually bankrupt prejudice.
Your opinion doesn't count with me, nor with anyone who cares to have an honest debate about, well, anything.
Keep posting - I don't care. Neither does anyone else.
The reason you're opinion doesn't count is because it's rooted in fantasy and presumption. For example, I called for an end to victimless crimes and you took that and leaped into the void of illogical and intellectually bankrupt prejudice.
Your opinion doesn't count with me, nor with anyone who cares to have an honest debate about, well, anything.
Keep posting - I don't care. Neither does anyone else.
33
@30- This guy was an amateur, and an idiot, and really, really wanted to be caught and be famous and start the revolution or whatever.
Every terrorist (and this guy was a terrorist) is crazy. They're fighting the "Cosmic War" and don't have any productive ideas for reality.
Every terrorist (and this guy was a terrorist) is crazy. They're fighting the "Cosmic War" and don't have any productive ideas for reality.
34
" I called for an end to victimless crimes "
Well I call that chasing windmills and I'd much rather have you do that than something actually productive.
"Your opinion doesn't count with me, nor with anyone who cares to have an honest debate about, well, anything."
Why would I care if it counted with you? My opinion as a moderate Democrat counts quite a bit in the US or haven't you noticed Obama tossed the looney left overboard?
Enjoy the swim back to crazy island, maybe they'll have single payer health care and homes for all the victimless criminals.
Well I call that chasing windmills and I'd much rather have you do that than something actually productive.
"Your opinion doesn't count with me, nor with anyone who cares to have an honest debate about, well, anything."
Why would I care if it counted with you? My opinion as a moderate Democrat counts quite a bit in the US or haven't you noticed Obama tossed the looney left overboard?
Enjoy the swim back to crazy island, maybe they'll have single payer health care and homes for all the victimless criminals.
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