Documents: 57-year-old Sammamish man was beaten to death with shovels

SAMMAMISH -- Two men accused of using shovels to kill a Sammamish man have been charged with murder, robbery and theft, according to King County prosecutors.

Twenty-year-old Kevin Patterson and 18-year-old Christopher Shade were arrested Wednesday night in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

According to charging documents, Patterson and Shade met through a mutual friend.

On Wednesday morning, Patterson called a friend and said Richard Bergesen, the 57-year-old Sammamish homeowner who had taken Patterson into his home, had made a sexual advance toward him and he grabbed a shovel and hit him on the head -- and then stole Bergesen's credit cards and car and fled to Canada with Shade.

That friend led police to the home where Patterson lived with Bergesen in Sammamish, according to documents. Police knocked but heard no response. When they entered the home, they found Bergesen's body in the master bedroom.

Investigators said Bergesen had been bludgeoned to death with a shovel. A medical examiner confirmed he died from multiple blows to the head.

Detective tracked the stolen car to Abbotsford, British Columbia, where local authorities found Bergeson's car and arrested Patterson and Shade at a hotel.

After the arrest, Shade told police he only knew Patterson for about 24 hours before the incident -- saying Patterson had asked him to come over. According to documents, he said that Patterson discussed a plan to drug his roommate, take his money and car and go to Canada.

According to prosecutors, Shade said he went to the home and Patterson told him to wait down the hall. When he heard noises, he ran to see what was going on and saw Patterson beating the man with a shovel. He admitted to hitting the victim "once or twice."

Shade told them Patterson searched Google to find a place to cross the border and they did so by driving under a barbed wire fence on a road north of Spokane. He said they stopped only for gas and coffee until they got to Abbotsford.

Patterson told investigators a different story. He said he asked Shade to come over to his home, said he left briefly and returned to find Shade beating Bergesen with a shovel.

According to court papers, he admitted to tying up Bergesen and taking his wallet and credit cards, but said Shade forced him to do so while he was being held at knife-point. He also claimed Shade forced him to make the phone calls saying he had messed up.

Prosecutors said Patterson already has a substantial criminal record, including convictions for custodial assault, ID theft, forgery and 4th degree assault.

Authorities have started extradition talks to bring the suspects back to the U.S.