Court records reveal new details about the alleged murder of a Kenmore man outside a Lacey motel in August.
Sean Shea died Aug. 30 after suffering blunt force injuries to his head. First responders found him outside a motel on the 100 block of College Street Southeast, next to Interstate 5, The Olympian previously reported.
In court records filed on Monday, prosecutors alleged Alexander and Nicholas VanDuren, 32-year-old twin brothers, physically assaulted Shea after an argument. During the assault, Nicholas VanDuren allegedly struck him with what police believe were brass knuckles.
Shea leaves behind his partner and two children, one of which reportedly observed the assault. It's unclear why the argument escalated to alleged murder.
Lacey police announced Wednesday that Alexander VanDuren had been arrested for allegedly killing Shea. His arrest came a day after police identified him as one of two suspects charged with second-degree murder.
Police are still searching for his fraternal twin, Nicholas VanDuren.
Thurston County Superior Court Commissioner Nathan Kortokrax found probable cause for the alleged crimes and authorized warrants for their arrest on Monday. He set no bail for both men.
In doing so, Kortokrax reasoned the defendants were unlikely to appear in response to summons. He also found they may commit a violent offense or interfere in the case.
Probable cause statements for the VanDuren brothers describe the investigation into Shea's death from the perspective of law enforcement.
The day of the incident Shea had attended a wedding with his partner and two small children. They stayed at the Lacey motel afterwards.
At one point, an argument started between Shea, who was in his motel room, and people in the parking lot.
Shea left his room at 9:20 p.m. in only his shorts and contacted two men, later identified as the VanDuren brothers, in the parking lot. The brothers were with a female motel guest at the time, according to the statement.
Video surveillance from the motel showed the "altercation became physical" when Shea arrived in the parking lot. Both brothers reportedly pushed Shea's chest.
Then, Nicholas VanDuren allegedly struck Shea in the face, causing him to fall backwards and fracture his head.
Shea tried to get up, but police says Alexander VanDuren prevented that by kicking his body. As this occurred, the video shows Nicholas retrieving an object from his vehicle.
Based on Shea's injuries and witness statements, detectives believe Nicholas retrieved brass knuckles.
Nicholas VanDuren allegedly struck Shea in the left side of the head again. The statement says he fell down again and did not get up. The two brothers then fled the parking lot with the woman.
When a detective arrived at the scene, he saw a pool of blood in the rear parking lot where the fight took place. Witness statements were reportedly consistent with the video surveillance recovered from the motel.
The detective contacted Shea's partner at the motel after confirming Shea died. She was reportedly still in their motel room and did not know what happened to Shea.
She told the detective she was sleeping at around 9 p.m. when she was awakened by a conversation between Shea and one of the children. She said she recalls the child talking to Shea about "a truck being broken into."
Once first responders arrived, she called dispatch to inquire about Shea. However, the statement says dispatch did not provide her with any information.
Shea's partner later told the detective that her child had observed one of the suspects at a nearby restaurant. The child reportedly made this observation from the motel lobby as they were checking out.
Video surveillance showed the child point to a man in the restaurant parking lot. Police later identified this man as Nicholas VanDuren.
On Sept. 1, the child was interviewed at the Monarch Children's Justice and Advocacy Center. The child said he was awakened by noises outside his room window the night of the incident. When he looked out, he saw three people by a vehicle making noise.
The child then woke up Shea because he thought cars were being broken into. He corroborated what the surveillance footage showed.
Shea's autopsy revealed he suffered a skull fracture to the back right side of his head as well as damage near his left eye socket. The markings on his skull were reportedly consistent with an impact weapon.
Detectives later discovered the Ford Fusion had been sold to VanDuren's mother on July 27 in Shelton. The salesman reportedly told detectives that a man, later identified as Nicholas VanDuren, accompanied his mother the day he sold the vehicle.
The investigation led a detective to a woman Nicholas VanDuren reportedly dated, but not the one he was with the night of Shea's death. The statement says this woman's cell phone plan included Nicholas VanDuren's mobile phone number.
Phone records allegedly showed Nicholas VanDuren's phone was present at the motel the night Shea died. The statement also alleges that messages between this woman and Nicholas VanDuren appear to show he was engaged in drug use.
Based on these messages, police believe Nicholas VanDuren would "physically harm" the woman he was with at the motel if she shared information about Shea's death.
On Nov. 14, the woman who was present during the incident called a detective. According to the statement, she told the detective to stop trying to contact her and to "stop asking everyone" where she was.
During the conversation, she allegedly confirmed some details about the incident. However, she also added some claims to suggest Nicholas VanDuren acted in self-defense.
When asked why she didn't call police after the incident, she reportedly said, "That's not what I do, we don't get police involved." She then hung up on the detective.
During the investigation, Nicholas VanDuren and his mother allegedly tried to trade in his Ford Fusion, but the dealer refused. The statement says Nicholas VanDuren also has changed his phone number.
