A formerly missing Washington state high school football player accused of stabbing and shooting his mom’s ex-boyfriend claims that he was forced by the victim’s biker gang to break in and burglarize his home.
Gabriel Davies and Justin Jiwoon Yoon, both 16, were formally charged Tuesday with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree burglary and two counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm for the death of 51-year-old Daniel McCaw, who was found dead in his Orting home Thursday.
The teens are both being charged as adults due to the seriousness of the crimes.
McCaw, who had reportedly split from Davies’ mother several weeks earlier, was found in his laundry room, with a “significant amount” of blood around his body and splattered on the washing machine, according to charging documents. Citing decomposition, investigators believe he was dead for as many as four days before his body was discovered.
He appeared to have gunshot wounds to the temple and chest and several stab wounds to the stomach, according to officials.
Davies’ father turned his son in, telling police that “Gabe was involved” and that his son claimed that McCaw’s “biker buddies” had approached him and forced him to steal something from McCaw’s safe, according to the arrest affidavit.
That’s when Davies and Yoon allegedly devised the plan before breaking into McCaw’s house early Sunday morning. Two “young skinny males” were caught on surveillance footage crawling through a doggie door, then leaving the garage about 40 minutes later and heading into the house, prosecutors said. Less than an hour after first arriving, the pair fled the scene with several items, including a “possible handgun.”
Four days later, on Wednesday, Davies was reported missing, leading to a panicked manhunt before he was found safe late Thursday. His car was found first, deserted on the road with damage to the exterior and suspected blood on the steering wheel and driver’s door panel. His cell phone was smashed on the road nearby.
Davies allegedly told his father, who then relayed the story to investigators, that the bikers had followed him in his car Wednesday and pulled him out, shoved him into another car where they “roughed him up,” then stole his shirt and shoes.
The teen also told his father that Yoon was the one who stabbed McCaw, then shot him while Davies went to the safe to look for the item they were supposed to steal.
Davies claimed he never actually stole anything.
Two guns registered to McCaw were found stowed inside a military style ammunition can and disposed of, as well as a small bag containing 12 throwing knives, another pouch with six throwing knives and three separate knives.
Pierce County deputy prosecutor Lisa Wagner claimed in court Tuesday that Davies staged his disappearance in order to cover up the murder, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.
Davies and Yoon are each being held on a $1 million bail.
