Here’s what witnesses said about Bellingham hit-and-run that led to a homicide charge
A 25-year-old Bellingham woman is facing murder and vehicular homicide charges for allegedly hitting and killing a 38-year-old Deming man with her car in early May.
Rayven Taylor Dan Butler-Washington was charged May 13 in Whatcom County Superior Court with premeditated first-degree murder, vehicular homicide and hit and run resulting in death, all felonies, for the May 6 death of Pablo S. Rabang, according to court documents.
A warrant of arrest was put out May 16 for Butler-Washington who was arrested on Wednesday, May 18. She is expected to make her first appearance in court Thursday afternoon.
Around 8:45 a.m. on May 6, Bellingham police were called to the intersection of Hammer Drive and Midway Lane in the Irongate neighborhood for the report of a motor vehicle accident involving a pedestrian who was laying in the middle of the roadway.
Dispatch told police an argument had occurred between a man and a woman and witnesses said there was a comment made about the man “having a gun’” before the accident, court records state.
When police arrived, they found a man lying in the middle of the roadway who appeared to have injuries consistent with being struck and run over by a vehicle. The man was later identified as Rabang and he was pronounced dead at the scene, records state.
A witness who works across the street from where the accident occurred told police he heard a commotion, looked outside and saw a man lying in the middle of the roadway. The witness told police he saw a blue/green Ford Explorer with no rear license plate leaving eastbound on Midway Lane at a high rate of speed. The witness said he had previously seen the Ford Explorer parked between two campers in the area when he had arrived at work around 7 a.m. that day, court records show.
Another witness who was on a job site in the area told police he heard a man and woman arguing with each other around the time of the incident.
The witness said he saw the Ford Explorer hit one of the motor homes parked in the gravel parking lot nearby and saw Rabang standing in the roadway. The witness said he saw the Ford Explorer hit Rabang and drive off without braking or slowing down, records show.
Several duffel bags were found on the ground near the motor homes. After a search warrant was applied for and granted, police found several items with the name “Rayven” written on them inside of the bags. A vehicle title, registration and hand-written bill of sale for the Ford Explorer were also found, according to court records.
Notebooks with Butler-Washington’s and Rabang’s names were also found in the area.
Around 3:15 p.m. on May 6, Butler-Washington was found sitting in the driver’s seat of the Ford Explorer in the 1300 block of Marine Drive. Butler-Washington agreed to come to an interview at the Bellingham Police station.
During the interview with Bellingham police, Butler-Washington said she hadn’t seen Rabang since May 5 and had picked the Ford Explorer up from an area hotel. She said the Ford Explorer had front-end damage when she picked it up, according to court records.
Butler-Washington said she and Rabang had previously been in a relationship but were no longer together because they had been verbally arguing with one another. Butler-Washington denied driving the Ford Explorer or being involved in a motor vehicle accident. She told police she received a ride from the Lummi Reservation into Bellingham from a cousin named Jules on the morning of May 6, the court records state.
A third witness contacted later by police said Butler-Washington and Rabang had stopped by his camp around 6 a.m. on May 6 looking for drugs, contradicting Butler-Washington’s statements. The witness said he didn’t have drugs to sell them and Butler-Washington and Rabang left together in the Ford Explorer, the records state.
When police checked video surveillance footage from an area hotel, they did not observe the Ford Explorer, as Butler-Washington had said it would be located. Butler-Washington’s grandmother was called and she told police Butler-Washington did not have a cousin named Jules, court records show.
After contacting witnesses who were near the motor homes the morning of May 6 and reviewing video surveillance footage from the area of Hammer Drive and Midway Lane, Bellingham police identified Butler-Washington as the driver of the Ford Explorer that hit Rabang, according to court records.
