Suspect in fatal Kent shooting also being investigated in deadly crash
A 23-year-old Seattle man accused of fatally shooting a Kent man nine times in the back last month in retaliation for a homicide two years ago is also being investigated in a high-speed crash that killed two people, including a 4-year-old, last week in Federal Way.
King County prosecutors on Wednesday charged Robert Ousley with premeditated first-degree murder in the May 24 killing of 25-year-old Marcus Pressley outside Pressley's Kent apartment, charging papers say.
Less than two weeks after the shooting, Ousley was allegedly driving a car traveling over 130 mph on Highway 18 just after 12:01 a.m. on June 4. A Washington State Patrol trooper spotted the speeding car and chased after it until the vehicle crashed just before the split to Interstate 5, ejecting Ousley and an unidentified 22-year-old woman, according to the State Patrol and charging papers in the murder case.
Two others inside the car - a 4-year-old girl and Ousley's 18-year-old girlfriend, who witnessed the May 24 shooting - died in the crash. Ousley and the 22-year-old, who was critically injured, were taken to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, say the charges, which note it is uncertain whether the woman will survive.
Aniya Wellington was identified as the 18-year-old and Lashea Cook as the child victim by the King County medical examiner's office. Both died from multiple blunt force injuries.
Kent police, who were already investigating Ousley for his role in Pressley's killing, were notified June 5 that Ousley had been hospitalized after the fatal crash. During a Tuesday interview at Harborview with a Kent detective, Ousley denied knowing Pressley or being in Kent the night of the shooting, according to the charges.
Ousley was released from the hospital and booked into the King County Jail on Wednesday afternoon, where he is being held in lieu of $10 million bail.
Federal Way police are investigating Ousley for his role in last week's fatal crash but have not yet referred a case to prosecutors for a charging decision.
Senior deputy prosecutor Logan Bryant wrote in charging papers for the May 24 shooting that the high bail amount was necessary because there is a high risk Ousley will commit another violent offense or fail to appear at future hearings. Of the 11 warrants issued for Ousley's arrest since 2022, six were for failing to appear or comply with a court order, according to Bryant.
Police and prosecutors allege Ousley suspected his homie" was shot and killed by Pressley's "homies" two years ago and was seeking retaliation when he targeted and shot Pressley.
The charges say Ousley told the witnesses Pressley was "D-Dub," an apparent reference to Down Wit' the Crew, a long-standing South Seattle gang associated with the intersection of 53rd Avenue South and South Henderson Street near Rainier Beach High.
Ousley also "kept saying he is '21,' according to the charges - a possible reference to the Union Street Hustlers, a Central District gang known to frequent the corner of 21st Avenue and East Union Street. Though it is not clear in the charges which homicide Ousley was referring to, enmity between South End and Central District gangs has been ongoing for years.
In addition to the murder charge, Ousley was charged Wednesday with second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
Kent police received reports of gunfire shortly before 4 a.m. on May 24 outside the Chandlers Bay Apartments, in the 8700 block of South 235th Place, where they found Pressley bleeding from gunshot wounds. He died minutes later. An autopsy showed Pressley had been shot nine times in the back, the charges say.
An anonymous witness called Kent police the next day and said they were with Ousley, Pressley and Ousley's girlfriend when the shooting happened, according to charging papers.
The witness reported being with the group at a Seattle nightclub the night of May 23 and agreeing to drive them home after the bar closed. Shortly after dropping Pressley off outside his apartment, the witness reported seeing Ousley standing outside of the car and shooting at Pressley, according to the charges.
The charges say Ousley then got back into the car and, while still holding the gun, told the witness and Wellington they would be killed if they told anyone what they saw. The witness said he commanded them to drive away and drop him off at another location, according to charging papers.
Investigators searched cellphone records, which showed Ousley was near the Seattle nightclub on May 23 and near Pressley's apartment complex at the time of the shooting several hours later, the charges say.
Ousley is scheduled to be arraigned on June 22 on the charges related to the May 24 shooting.
Seattle Times staff reporter Sara Jean Green contributed to this story.
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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 5:02 PM.