Bellingham trial begins in case of 2021 shooting, body found on Semiahmoo Spit
The trial of a woman accused of fatally shooting a man in 2021 began in Whatcom County Superior Court on Monday morning.
Lynda Clare Mercy, 67, was arrested April 13, 2021 and charged with second-degree murder for the killing of 67-year-old Thomas Flood, a transient man from Langley. Flood’s body was found by a beach access trail on the Semiahmoo Spit on April 7. He was covered by a mattress, sleeping bag and bloody pillowcase.
In his opening argument, Chief Deputy Prosecutor Erik Sigmar described Flood as “sort of a hermit.” He lived in his work van and often parked overnight in the same spot by the ferry terminal in Coupeville. Court records show that a restaurant owner in Langley witnessed Mercy arguing with Flood the day before his death.
Sigmar said he expects testimony to show that Mercy shot Flood twice before driving him in his van up to the Semiahmoo Spit, where she “dumped Tom Flood like trash on the side of the road.” He said Mercy then left the van in a church parking lot in Fairhaven and returned to her nearby apartment.
Detectives tracked Flood’s phone to the van, where Sigmar said they found blood stains and, later, evidence of Mercy’s DNA. Her DNA also appeared on a white cloth mask found by Flood’s body, and the caliber of the bullets used to shoot him match a gun that Mercy owned.
Public Defender Timothy Arnold argued that all the state’s evidence in the case was circumstantial, stating that they “tried to confirm and conform the evidence to their version of events.”
He said that the only surveillance footage from around the alleged time of the shooting that was preserved was that which showed Mercy, making it impossible to review in its entirety. He also said that there was no way to prove what gun was used in the shooting.
“The state filled gaps with guesses, time and time and time again,” Arnold said.
Mercy has been in custody at the Whatcom County Jail since her arrest. Her trial is expected to last four weeks.
This story was originally published January 26, 2026 at 2:14 PM.