Bellingham man suspected of murder allegedly assaulted victim before shooting her in head
The man suspected of murdering a Bellingham woman last week in a stairwell at 22 North reportedly smoked fentanyl with her and physically assaulted her before he allegedly fatally shot her in the head.
The Bellingham Police Department announced Saturday, Feb. 12, that it was searching for Shilo Aaron Englert, 33, on suspicion of murder.
The Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed charging documents for second-degree murder and a warrant was issued for his arrest on Friday, Feb. 11.
As of Tuesday morning, Feb. 15, the Whatcom County Jail log did not show that Englert had not been booked on that charge.
Whatcom County Superior Court documents filed Friday show that Kasandra Booker, 31, was found in a first-floor stairwell at 22 North, a 40-unit apartment complex on North State Street for young adults experiencing homelessness operated by the Opportunity Council and Northwest Youth Services.
Police were called to 22 North at 9:29 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, after Booker’s body was found in the stairwell, according to court documents. Booker was found with a gunshot wound to her head, and one bullet of unknown caliber was found at the scene, though no handgun was located.
Detectives reviewed surveillance video, according to court documents, and found:
▪ At 8:25 p.m., a man, later identified as Englert, arrived at the building in a beige Lexus sedan with distinctive body damage to the hood. Englert parked in a spot in front of the building, got out of the Lexus and spoke to Booker on the sidewalk in front of 22 North.
▪ At 8:28 p.m. an unidentified woman who was inside the Lexus got out, and Englert physically assaulted Booker, putting her in a headlock and punching her several times. The unidentified woman got back into the front passenger seat of the Lexus.
▪ At 8:34 p.m. Englert, Booker and a female witness entered the first-floor stairwell at 22 North. The witness later told police that she, Englert and Booker smoked “blues” (or fentanyl pills) and that Englert began consoling and hugging Booker.
▪ At 8:42 p.m. the witness left the stairwell, leaving Englert and Booker alone. The witness said she left because she believed Englert and Booker were going to be intimate.
▪ At 8:53 p.m. Booker exited the stairwell and walked toward the front door, where she was seen raising her hands up and down and appearing to look in the direction of the Lexus. Booker then went back into the stairwell, and nobody else was seen entering it after her.
▪ At 9:18 p.m. Englert walked to the second-floor landing and exited into the alley behind the building. Englert was seen with his hands in his pockets and using his sleeve to cover his hand to operate the door’s push bar in what police believe was an attempt to keep from leaving fingerprints or DNA at the scene. Englert then walked the alley to East Laurel Street, then walked west and north again along North State Street, before getting into the Lexus and driving away from 22 North.
▪ At 9:28 p.m., the 911 caller entered the stairwell, found Booker’s body and called 911.
A Lexus matching the one seen on surveillance video was spotted at 3 p.m. Feb. 9 in the 1400 block of Moore Street parked near an apartment building Englert last reported living in following a Jan. 18 arrest in another incident.
Several law enforcement agents who had previous interactions with Englert identified him from the surveillance video stills, documents state.
Whatcom County Superior Court records show Englert was already facing charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, obstructing law enforcement and hit and run from a Jan. 18 incident, in which he reportedly drove a stolen car over a retaining wall and then ran away.
According to the warrant, Englert is described as 5-foot-11, 178 pounds with brown hair and green eyes.
Saturday’s release said Englert should be considered armed and dangerous and asked anyone who knows where Englert may be to contact police through a confidential phone tip line at 360-778-8611 and website at cob.org/tips.
