ORTING, WASHINGTON: A Washington teenager has pleaded guilty to murdering his mother's ex-lover in 2022 following his temporary disappearance when investigators found the victim dead in an Orting home.
Gabriel Davies and his accomplice Justin Yoon, both 17, pleaded guilty last week to second-degree murder charges in Pierce County.
As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped other charges of first-degree burglary and unlawful gun possession.
Davies and Yoon, both 16 at the time of the crime, were arrested by the authorities about one year ago in the killing of 51-year-old Dan McCaw, who was previously in a relationship with Davies' mother, Fox News reports.
Where did the authorities find the victim's body?
On September 1, officers carried out a welfare check at McCaw's home after he did not show up for several work shifts.
According to the Thurston County Sheriff's Office, deputies noticed the smell of decay, a German shepherd coming in and out of a doggy door and an unsecured door on the east side of the house that led to a laundry room.
"They made partial entry into the room and noted possible blood spatter on the washing machine or dryer just inside the door. The door was partially blocked, and when deputies entered further into the room, they discovered [McCaw's] body on the floor," an arrest affidavit states.
"The deputies observed a significant amount of blood surrounding the victim's body," the affidavit further stated.
Investigators initially thought that the victim took his own life because there were no signs of forced entry at his home.
However, further investigation revealed McCaw had been shot and stabbed. Numerous shell casings, an empty rifle magazine and ammunition were found by the detectives on the floor of his home.
Gabriel Davies was reported missing the day before authorities found the victim's body
According to the authorities, Davies was reported missing under "suspicious circumstances" the day before investigators found the deceased victim.
TCSO put out an alert on August 31, 2022, stating that the defendant had left his home in Olympia for football practice that afternoon, but never showed up.
Where did the officers find Gabriel Davies?
The next day, deputies found the teenager walking on a road without a shirt or socks, three miles from where investigators found his damaged vehicle that had been abandoned in the Tenino area of Thurston County.
"The vehicle had exterior damage, and suspected blood was found on the steering wheel and driver's door panel," the affidavit states.
"Thurston County deputies also located Gabriel Davies' cell phone smashed in the roadway near the vehicle," the affidavit added.
What did Gabriel Davies tell the detectives?
Davies initially told detectives he "could not remember what had happened to him or where he had been during his disappearance," the court document states.
"He later stated that he could not say what had happened to him because people were going to hurt him," the document adds.
The lead TCSO detective investigating McCaw's homicide was later contacted by Yoon's father and "claimed to have information about a crime in which Davies was involved."
Both Davies and Yoon were identified as suspects in McCaw's murder.
As per the surveillance footage recovered from the victim's house, both Yoon and Davies were seen sneaking into McCaw's home through the doggy door on the night of his murder.
Both appeared to be "carrying items, including a possible handgun," and one "appeared to have pepper spray on his belt."
Davies' father called the lead TCSO detective on the case, saying, "Gabe was involved in [DM's] death," a day after detectives found McCaw's body on September 2, 2022.
What did Gabriel Davies' father tell the authorities?
Davies' father explained that McCaw's "biker buddies" had approached his son "to steal something" from the victim's residence and "threatened his son with harm if he didn't do it."
Davies then apparently "confided in" Yoon who helped him create a plan to "steal the item from a safe" in McCaw's home.
"The father reported that his son knew where the victim's gun was kept and said that ‘when the victim came into the house, Justin ran after him and stabbed him,’ and stated that ‘Then, Gabe heard a gunshot.’ He reported that his son told him that he went out to the garage to get the ‘item’ out of the safe when he heard a second gunshot. The father reported that his son told him the firearm used in the incident was ditched near his home," the affidavit states.
Davies' father also told authorities his son said McCaw's "biker buddies" were part of an outlaw motorcycle club that "followed him," and that "the blood in his truck was from the bikers smashing his face against the interior of the car," authorities said.
