Slog
News & ArtsTuesday, October 16, 2012
Two-Block Radius / News For Capitol Hill People, This Has to Be the Weirdest Story Today
Posted by Jen Graves on Tue, Oct 16, 2012 at 4:49 PM
I'm not sure how to put this, except to say that a very gentle-seeming, very familiar homeless guy around these parts has been arrested for allegedly mutilating a woman to death 36 years ago in Maine.
And detectives got his DNA by tricking him into taking a fake "chewing gum survey."
I bought this guy a sandwich a month ago. He talked about the Vietnam War.
3
I remember SPD solved another cold case like this a few years ago when they got a guy from New Jersey to lick an envelope under the ruse some sort of parking ticket refund lawsuit. The guy had murdered his teenage neighbor in Magnolia in the 70's when he was a teenager and they were able to match his DNA to the crime scene.
7
Whoa. I would always run by him on Roosevelt outside the Half Price Books. Seemed like a harmless old guy.
9
"We need more heart, less hurt." - Gary Raub
Suppose that's what that poor old woman said right before he mutliated her?
Suppose that's what that poor old woman said right before he mutliated her?
14
Now I'm confusing myself. Is he in fact the same guy as the u-dist guy or are they different people? The u-dist guy seems to have a more burned face (or whatever that skin condition is).
18
@15
I though the same thing. I am willing to bet that the closest this murderous chucklefuck got to Vietnam was watching Apocalypse Now.
Protip:
When someone claims to be a homeless vet ask them their unit number, they will either stfu or say "I don't remember", if they area really a vet they will rattle that shit back to you because it is something no one forgets.
I though the same thing. I am willing to bet that the closest this murderous chucklefuck got to Vietnam was watching Apocalypse Now.
Protip:
When someone claims to be a homeless vet ask them their unit number, they will either stfu or say "I don't remember", if they area really a vet they will rattle that shit back to you because it is something no one forgets.
19
I always saw him by the blue moon or on the ave. Always thought he looked like the oldest man ever, vaguely Chinese under all the hair, suntan, and spots. Now I guess there is only "Tall man" in the park and the old guy with the Safeway bag on his head...aka Bagman.
20
Jen, was there any particular reason you linked to the Daily Mail site instead of the original article in the Kennebec Journal? I don't mean to complain, and I appreciate your hard work and all the (free!) content you guys produce for us, but I prefer to limit my intake of the skeezy, right-leaning British tabloids.
21
20: Yea, I noticed The Mail felt the need to not only have a picture of chewing gum, they needed to make sure you didn't confuse it with the suspect.
23
I say he belongs to the u-dist, not cap hill:
"Whitcomb said Raub was arrested Monday by a contingent of officers from Seattle, Augusta and the Maine State Police at one of his usual hangouts, Northeast 45th Street and University Way Northeast."
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2…
"Whitcomb said Raub was arrested Monday by a contingent of officers from Seattle, Augusta and the Maine State Police at one of his usual hangouts, Northeast 45th Street and University Way Northeast."
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2…
25
Speaking of Seattle's homeless, the November issue of Harper's has an article about the central library. My favorite bit:
One day, a woman flamboyantly turned out in a multicolored turban and what at first appeared to be white dreadlocks but was actually the head of a mop, complained to us that a guard had stolen her backpack. "He was deliberately all over me. I had mail in there, and he stole my mail, so he has committed a felony," she said. "I called the cops. No, actually, I screamed and screamed that he'd stolen my stuff. And my friend called the cops for me."
27
He was definitely a U District institution during the day, usually along the block with American Apparel, Trabant and most often nursing a cup of coffee in the deli on the corner. And like @19 I always had the impression that he was Asian...
28
Holy shit. I used to see him all the time in or near Peet's on the Hill. Usually with a bowler hat on his head.
29
@18, my dad was an Air force "vet" during the last 4 years of the Vietnam War (stationed in Montana though) and I'm pretty sure he doesn't remember his units number. But, he does remember most anything else like who/what/where just not the little thing like a number.
30
This story exploded my mind yesterday. Had to call everyone who I used to work at Val Village with and gossip! He was always such a sweet, and harmless-seeming fellow. I am having a hard time reconciling these realities. 0_o
31
Wow. You really never know with people. I always felt bad for this guy when I saw him, as hie looked especially destitute.
32
@29, have you asked him? Until you do, you're just blowing smoke out of your ass. I expect when you do, he'll offer up his unit number without hesitation. It's not the kind of thing you forget.
33
Gentle? Not too sure. While mostly quiet, this guy frequently wandered the U District and would occasionally scream (not speak) in tongues and randomly shout obscenities. People definitely kept a 5-10 foot halo around him, as he gave the vibe of someone who at any moment could come unhinged.
Certainly didn't think him a murderer, however. That was a surprise discovery.
Certainly didn't think him a murderer, however. That was a surprise discovery.
34
@33, his demeanor used to be gentle on the occasions when I'd speak with him. He did some do-goodery which I admired back then - he wasn't homeless at the time. That some do-gooders are compensating for past nastiness is a commonplace; that someone hiding from the consequences of an unspeakable crime might over time lose his ability to present an integrated persona or keep a roof over his head also does not strain credulity.
35
He would sit out front of Kaladi or Peet's or Vivace on Capitol Hill and brush and brush and brush his beard. I've also been privy to him screaming in tongues while tearing through Cal Anderson.
Ugh, will Hungry Man be on the list next?
Ugh, will Hungry Man be on the list next?
36
From the Kennebec Journal:
He may have been a gentle man most of the time, but he obviously had some pretty serious issues.
Police interest in Raub rekindled after he was accused in an October 2011 stabbing in Seattle that injured another homeless man.
He may have been a gentle man most of the time, but he obviously had some pretty serious issues.
37
If the only evidence they have is some blood in the house he lived in, they're going to have a hard time proving that he murdered the woman. From the article that seems to be the case, and all that proves is that he was around, and that was never in doubt.
39
@37 I agree. My blood is occasionally spattered on my kitchen cabinets. Drunk slicing - I really shouldn't chop onions when I'm under the influence!
40
Yeah, my blood's splattered all over my kitchen cupboards too ...
This guy might have a better life in prison anyway. At least he'll be sheltered and won't have to beg for food.
This guy might have a better life in prison anyway. At least he'll be sheltered and won't have to beg for food.
41
I hope you feel stupid now "more I say" for your idiotic defense of a man who is obviously a complete hack and liar on top of being a murderer.
42
@41: Whitney is not stupid. She is, however, quite young. That's an affliction which can easily be cured. All it takes is time. Now STFU.
43
You mukalucks would believe anything, that POW story is strait BS and none of you Useful Idiots could not see it or him for what he is. Your enlightened thinking has you so full of crap your eyes are brown and can no longer see reality even when it is in front of you. Splattered blood usually means a lot of blood, not some nick from shaving. If he was such a great Native American, why could this great warrior who single handedly escaped from Cambodia(HAHAHAHAHA)not even fend for himself in America. REAL Warriors who pull off great achievements like that do not fold ever, that is why they are able to do them in the first place. Stop being fooled by Hollywoods BS idea of a Combat Vet, we are your Brothers, Sisters, Friends and Neighbors. Average Americans who are not crazy, lazy or stupid. We are a direct reflection of the American populace with the same success and failures as all. Except in one area, the failure of the American people to understand the truth about us, we are regular people, that is all.
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
Portland Voters Are Stoopid by Goldy
-
An I-5 Bridge Over the Skagit River Has Collapsed by Paul Constant
-
Why They Break Windows by Unpaid Intern
-
Did You Steal Our Unpaid Intern's Camera? by Goldy
-
Usually When I'm Sent a Photoshopped Image of a Gun Pointed At Me... by Dan Savage
-
The Only Thing More Tragic than a Bridge Collapse Would Be a 10 Cent a Gallon Increase in the Gas Tax by Goldy
-
Tornado Truthers by Dan Savage
-
Star Trek Releases Deleted Scene of Benedict Cumberbatch Showering to Counter Claims of Sexism by Cienna Madrid
-
Boy Scouts Lift Ban on Gay Members by Paul Constant
-
Should I Buy One of These? by Goldy
Stranger Personals
The Stranger
RSSSeattle Art & Performance Quarterly
A complete guide to Seattle's current art, film, dance, and theater season.
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (44) RSS