Seattle man charged with manslaughter for boss’s death following Ferndale fight
A workplace confrontation that turned physical in Whatcom County and resulted in one man’s death has led to a charge of manslaughter for another man nine months later.
The incident occurred Oct. 16, 2024, in Ferndale, where a crew from Seattle Shuttle LLC was working during a cat show at the Ferndale Event Center.
Seattle Shuttle owner and founder Anthony Sperry, 61, was working with an employee, Lester Dwight Payton, 57, and the two got into a heated argument, according to court documents.
The two men were arguing over who would drive, and Sperry stood in front of the company van to prevent Payton from driving away. Payton allegedly hit Sperry with the vehicle, but did not knock him down, according to court documents.
Payton allegedly exited the vehicle and shoved Sperry to the ground, breaking his femur. Sperry also hit his head when he fell to the ground.
Payton drove away in the company vehicle before help could arrive Oct. 13, leaving Sperry on the ground near the event center, according to Megan Juenemann with the city of Ferndale.
Payton was with a friend at the time who was helping with the job. The friend called 911 after Sperry was pushed to the ground, according to court documents. Payton and his friend drove back to Seattle after leaving Sperry.
Sperry was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham. His leg injury required surgery, during which a metal rod was placed in his leg. The injuries also required a hip replacement, according to court documents.
Sperry was released from the hospital Oct. 23 and returned to his home in Kent. He took a nap the afternoon of the following day. Two hours later his wife checked on him and found him unresponsive. Firefighters arrived and attempted life-saving efforts but he died at the scene, according to court documents.
The King County medical examiner’s office determined Sperry’s cause of death to be “acute pneumonia in the setting of immobility due to a left femoral neck fracture status post repair” (the femoral neck is the head of the femur bone in the leg). The medical examiner ruled Sperry’s death a homicide.
“Acute pneumonia can develop in patients with femoral neck fractures, particularly due to the immobility that often follows such injuries, especially in older adults,” Amy Drury, Senior Director of Marketing and Communication with PeaceHealth, told The Herald. “The fracture and surgery, combined with reduced lung expansion and clearance of secretions due to immobility, creates a favorable environment for pneumonia to develop.”
Drury said due to patient privacy law, the hospital could not comment on Sperry’s treatment at St. Joseph.
Authorities established probable cause to arrest Payton for an assault charge. When Sperry died a few days later, a warrant for first-degree manslaughter was issued.
Payton went to the city of Des Moines municipal court July 23 to inquire about a warrant out for his arrest on an unrelated case. He was remanded and booked into a correctional facility later that day, according to the Des Moines Public Records Office.
Payton was transferred July 28 to Whatcom County Jail, where he is being detained on a $250,000 appearance bond. He has been charged with first-degree manslaughter, a class A felony.
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